m 


UC-NRLF 


THK    HK11OES. 


THE  HEROES; 


GREEK    FAIRY    TALES 


FOR  MY  CHILDREN. 


CHARLES    KINGSLEY, 


Illustrations  bg 


gorfc 

THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 
1914 

All  rights  reserved 


TO 

MY     CHILDREN, 

ROSE,      MAURICE,    AND    MARY, 

A   LITTLE    PRESENT   OF 

OLD   GREEK   FAIRY    TALES. 


296715 


PREFACE. 

MY  DEAR  CHILDREN, 

SOME  of  you  have  heard  already  of  the  old 
Greeks ;  and  all  of  you,  as  you  grow  up, 
will  hear  more  and  more  of  them.  Those 
of  you  who  are  boys  will,  perhaps,  spend  a 
great  deal  of  time  in  reading  Greek  books  ; 
and  the  girls,  though  they  may  not  learn 
Greek,  will  be  sure  to  come  across  a  great 
many  stories  taken  from  Greek  history,  and 
to  see,  I  may  say  every  day,  things  which 
we  should  not  have  had  if  it  had  not  been 
for  these  old  Greeks.  You  can  hardly  find 
a  well-written  book  which  has  not  in  it 
Greek  names,  and  words,  and  proverbs;  you 


10  PREFACE. 

cannot  walk  through  a  great  town  without 
passing  Greek  buildings;  you  cannot  go  into 
a  well-furnished  room  without  seeing  Greek 
statues  and  ornaments,  even  Greek  patterns 
of  furniture  and  paper ;  so  strangely  have 
these  old  Greeks  left  their  mark  behind  them 
upon  this  modern  world  in  which  we  now 
live.  And  as  you  grow  up,  and  read  more 
and  more,  you  will  find  that  we  owe  to 
these  old  Greeks  the  beginnings  of  all  our 
mathematics  and  geometry — that  is,  the  sci- 
ence and  knowledge  of  numbers,  and  of  the 
shapes  of  things,  and  of  the  forces  which 
make  things  move  and  stand  at  rest ;  and 
the  beginnings  of  our  geography  and  astron- 
omy ;  and  of  our  laws,  and  freedom,  and 
politics — that  is,  the  science  of  how  to  rule 
a  country,  and  make  it  peaceful  and  strong. 
And  we  owe  to  them,  too,  the  beginning  of 
our  logic — that  is,  the  study  of  words  and 
of  reasoning;  and  of  our  metaphysics — that 


PREFACE.  11 

is,  the  study  of  our  own  thoughts  and  souls. 
And  last  of  all,  they  made  their  language  so 
beautiful,  that  foreigners  used  to  take  to  it 
instead  of  their  own ;  and  at  last  Greek 
became  the  common  language  of  educated 
people  all  over  the  old  world,  from  Persia 
and  Egypt  even  to  Spain  and  Britain.  And 
therefore  it  was  that  the  New  Testament  was 
written  in  Greek,  that  it  might  be  read  and 
understood  by  all  the  nations  of  the  Roman 
empire;  so  that  next  to  the  Jews,  and  the 
Bible  which  the  Jews  handed  down  to  us, 
we  owe  more  to  these  old  Greeks  than  tc 
any  people  upon  earth. 

Now  you  must  remember  one  thing,  that 
"  Greeks "  was  not  their  real  name.  They 
called  themselves  always  "  Hellens,"  but  the 
Romans  miscalled  them  Greeks ;  and  we  have 
taken  that  wrong  name  from  the  Romans ; 
it  would  take  a  long  time  to  tell  you  why. 
They  were  made  up  of  many  tribes  and  many 


12  PREFACE. 

small  separate  states  ;  and  when  you  hear  in 
this  book  of  Minuai,  and  Athenians,  and 
other  such  names,  you  must  remember  that 
they  were  all  different  tribes  and  peoples  of 
the  one  great  Hellen  race,  who  lived  in  what  * 
we  now  .call  Greece,  in  the  islands  of  the 
Archipelago,  and  along  the  coast  of  Asia 
Minor,  (Ionia,  as  they  call  it.)  from  the  Hel- 
lespont to  Rhodes,  and  had  afterwards  col- 
onies and  cities  in  Sicily,  and  South  Italy, 
(which  was  called  Great  Greece,)  and  along 
the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  at  Sinope,  and 
Kertch,  and  at  Sevastopol.  And  after  that, 
again,  they  spread  under  Alexander  the  Great, 
and  conquered  Egypt,  and  Syria,  and  Persia,  and 
the  whole  East.  But  that  was  many  a  hun- 
dred years  after  my  stories ;  for  then  there 
were  no  Greeks  on  the  Black  Sea  shores,  nor 
in  Sicily,  or  Italy,  or  anywhere  but  in  Greece 
and  in  Ionia.  And  if  you  are  puzzled  by 
the  names  of  places  in  this  book,  you  must 


PREFACE.  13 

take  the  maps  and  find  them  out.  It  will 
be  a  pleasanter  way  of  learning  geography 
than  out  of  a  dull  lesson-book. 

Now,  I  love  these  old  Hellens  heartily ; 
and  I  should  be  very  ungrateful  to  them  if 
I  did  not,  considering  all  that  they  have  taught 
me  ;  and  they  seem  to  me  like  brothers, 
though  they  have  all  been  dead  and  gone 
many  a  hundred  years  ago.  So  as  you  must 
learn  about  them,  whether  you  choose  or  not, 
I  wish  to  be  the  first  to  introduce  you  to 
them,  and  to  say,  "  Come  hither,  children, 
at  this  blessed  Christmas  time,  when  all  God's 
creatures  should  rejoice  together,  and  bless 
Him  who  redeemed  them  all.  Come  and  see 
old  friends  of  mine,  whom  I  knew  long  ere 
you  were  born.  They  are  come  to  visit  us 
at  Christmas,  out  of  tne  world  where  all  live 
to  God ;  and  to  tell  you  some  of  their  old 
fairy-tales,  which  they  loved  when  they  were 
young  like  you." 


14  PREFACE. 

For  nations  begin  at  first  by  being  chil 
dren  like  you,  though  they  are  made  up  of 
grown  men.  They  are  children  at  first  like 
you  —  men  and  women  with  children's 
hearts ;  frank,  and  affectionate,  and  full  of 
trust,  and  teachable,  and  loving  to  see  and 
learn  all  the  wonders  round  them ;  and 
greedy  also,  too  often,  and  passionate  and 
silly,  as  children  are. 

^  Thus  these  old  Greeks  were  teachable, 
and  learnt  from  all  the  nations  round.  From 
the  Phoenicians  they  learnt  ship-building,  and 
some  say  letters  beside ;  and  from  the  Assy- 
rians they  learnt  painting,  and  carving,  and 
building  in  wood  and  stone;  and  from  the 
Egyptians  they  learnt  astronomy,  and  many 
things  which  you  would  not  understand.  In 
this  they  were  like  our  own  forefathers,  the 
Northmen,  of  whom  you  love  to  hear,  who, 
though  they  were  wild  and  rough  themselves, 
were  humble,  and  glad  to  learn  from  every 


PREFACE.  15 

one.  Therefore  God  rewarded  these  Greeks, 
as  He  rewarded  our  forefathers,  and  made 
them  wiser  than  the  people  who  taught  them, 
in  every  thing-  they  learnt ;  for  He  loves  to 
see  men  and  children  open-hearted,  and  will- 
ing to  be  taught ;  and  to  him  who  uses 
what  he  has  got,  He  gives  more  and  more 
day  by  day.  ^So  these  Greeks  grew  wise 
and  powerful,  and  wrote  poems  which  will 
live  till  the  world's  end,  which  you  must 
read  for  yourselves  some  day,  in  English  at 
least,  if  not  in  Greek.  And  they  learnt  to 
carve  statues,  and  build  temples,  which  are 
still  among  the  wonders  of  the  world;)  and 
many  another  wondrous  thing  God  taught 
them,  for  which  we  are  the  wiser  this  day. 

For  you  must  not  fancy,  children,  that 
because  these  old  Greeks  were  heathens, 
therefore  God  did  not  care  for  them,  and 
taught  them  nothing. 

The  Bible  tells  us  that  it  was  not  so,  but 


16  PREFACE. 

that  God's  mercy  is  over  all  his  works,  and 
that  He  understands  the  hearts  of  all  people, 
and  fashions  all  their  works.  And  St.  Paul 
told  these  old  Greeks  in  aftertimes,  when 
they  had  grown  wicked  and  fallen  low,  that 
they  ought  to  have  known  better,  because  they 
were  God's  offspring,  as  their  own  poets  had 
said ;  and  that  the  good  God  had  put  them 
where  they  were,  to  seek  the  Lord,  and  feel 
after  him,  and  find  him,  though  He  was  not 
far  from  any  one  of  them.  And  Clement 
of  Alexandria,  a  great  Father  of  the  Church, 
who  was  as  wise  as  he  was  good,  said  that 
God  had  sent  down  Philosophy  to  the  Greeks 
from  heaven,  as  he  sent  down  the  Gospel  to 
the  Jews. 

For  Jesus  Christ,  remember,  is  the  Light 
who  lights  every  man  who  comes  into  the 
world.  And  no  one  can  think  a  right 
thought,  or  feel  a  right  feeling,  or  under- 
stand the  real  truth  of  any  thing  in  earth 


PREFACE.  17 

and  heaven,  unless  the  good  Lord  Jesus 
teaches  him  by  his  Spirit,  which  gives  man 
understanding. 

But  these  Greeks,  as  St.  Paul  told  them, 
forgot  what  God  had  taught  them,  and 
though  they  were  God's  offspring,  worshipped 
idols  of  wood  and  stone,  and  fell  at  last  into 
sin  and  shame,  and  then,  of  course,  into 
cowardice  and  slavery  i  till  they  perished  out 
of  that  beautiful  land  which  God  had  given 
them  for  so  many  years. 

For,  like  all  nations  who  have  left  any 
thing  behind  them,  beside  mere  mounds  of 
earth,  they  believed  at  first  in  the  One  True 
God  who  made  all  heaven  and  earth.  But 
after  a  while,  like  all  other  nations,  they 
began  to  ^  \yorship  other  Gods,  or  rather 
angels  and  spirits,  who  (so  they  fancied) 
lived  about  their  land.  Zeus  the  Father  of 
gods  and  men,  (who  was  some  dim  remem- 
brance of  the  blessed  true  God,)  and  Hera 


18  PREFACE. 

his  wife,  and  Phoebus  Apollo  the  Sun-god, 
and  Pallas  Athene  who  taught  men  wisdom 
and  useful  arts,  and  Aphrodite  the  Queen 
of  Beauty,  and  Poseidon  the  Ruler  of  the 
Sea,  and  Hephaistos  the  King  of  the  Fire, 
who  taught  men  to  work  in  metals.  And 
they  honoured  the  Gods  of  the  Rivers,  and 
the  Nymph-maids,  who  they  fancied  lived  in 
the  caves,  and  the  fountains,  and  the  glens 
of  the  forest,  and  all  beautiful  wild  places. 
And  they  honoured  the  Erinnyes,  the  dread- 
ful sisters,  who,  they  thought,  haunted  guilty 
men  until  their  sins  were  purged  awa] 
And  many  other  dreams  they  had,  which 
parted  the  One  God  into  many;  and  they 
said,  too,  that  these  gods  did  ;  things  which 
would  be  a  shame  and  sin  for  any  man  to 
do.  And  when  their  philosophers  arose,  and 
told  them  that  God  was  One,  they  would 
not  listen,  but  loved  their  idols,  and  their 
wicked  idol  feasts,  till  they  all  came  to  ruin. 


PREFACE.  19 

But    we    will    talk    of    such    sad   .things    no 
more. 

But,  at  the  time  of  which  this  little  book 
speaks,  they  had  not  fallen  as  low  as  that. 
They  worshipped  no  idols,  as  far  as  I  can 
find ;  and  they  still  believed  in  the  last  six 
of  the  ten  commandments,  and  knew  well 
what  was  right  and  what  was  wrong.  And 
they  believed  (and  that  was  what  gave  them 
courage)  that  the  gods  loved  men,  and 
taught  them,  and  that  without  the  gods  men 
were  sure  to  come  to  ruin.  And  in  that 
they  were  right  enough,  as  we  know — more 
right  even  than  they  thought;  for  without 
God  we  can  do  nothing,  and  all  wisdom 
coines  from  him. 

J  Q&il** 

Now,  you  must  not  think  of  them  in  this 
book  as  learned  men,  living  in  great  cities, 
such  as  they  were  afterwards,  when  they 
wrought  all  their  beautiful  works,  but  as 
country  people,  living  in  farms  and  walled 


20  PREFACE. 

villages,  in  a  simple,  hard-working  way  ;  so 
that  the  greatest  kings  and  heroes  cooked 
their  own  meals,  and  thought  it  no  shame, 
and  made  their  own  ships  and  weapons,  and 
fed  and  harnessed  their  own  horses ;  and  the 
queens  worked  with  their  maid-servants,  and 
did  all  the  husiness  of  the  house,  and  spun, 
and  wove,  and  embroidered,  and  made  their 
husbands'  clothes  and  their  own.  So  that  a 
man  was  honoured  among  them,  not  because 
he  happened  to  be  rich,  but  according  to  his 
skill,  and  his  strength,  and  courage,  and  the 
number  of  things  which  he  could  do.  For 
they  were  but  grown-up  children,  though 
they  were  right  noble  children  too ;  and  it 
was  with  them  as  it  is  now  at  school,  the 
strongest  and  cleverest  boy,  though  he  be 
poor,  leads  all  the  rest. 

Now,  while  they  were  young  and  simple 
they  loved  fairy  tales,  as  you  do  now.  All 
nations  do  so  when  they  are  young:  our  old 


PREFACE.  21 

forefathers  did,  and  called  their  stories 
"  Sagas."  I  will  read  you  some  of  them 
some  day  —  some  of  the  Eddas,  and  the 
Voluspa,  and  Beowulf,  and  the  noble  old 
Romances.  The  old  Arabs,  again,  had  their 
tales,  which  we  now  call  "  The  Arabian 
Nights."  The  old  Romans  had  theirs,  and 
they  called  them  "  Fabulse,"  from  which  our 
word  "  fable "  comes ;  but  the  old  Hellens 
called  theirs  "  Muthoi,"  from  which  our  new 
word  "rnyth"  is  taken.  But  next  to  those 
old  Romances,  which  were  written  in  the 
Christian  middle  age,  there  are  no  fairy 
tales  like  these  old  Greek  ones,  for  beauty, 
and  wisdom,  and  truthA  and  for  making  chil- 
dren love  noble  deeds,  and  trust  in  God  to 
help  them  through. 

Now,  why  have  I  called  this  book  "  The 
Heroes  1  "  Because  that  was  the  name  which 
the  Hellens  gave  to  men  who  were  brave  and 
skilful,  and  dare  do  more  than  other  men. 


22  PREFACE. 

At  first,  I  think,  that  was  all  it  meant:  but 
after  a  time  it  came  to  mean  something  more ; 
it  came  to  mean  men  who  helped  their  coun- 
try ;  men  in  those  old  times,  when  the  coun- 
try was  half  wild,  who  killed  fierce  beasts 
and  evil  men,  and  drained  swamps,  and 
founded  towns,  and  therefore  after  they  were 
dead,  were  honoured,  because  they  had  left 
their  country  better  than  they  found  it.  And 
we  call  such  a  man  a  hero  in  English  to 
this  day,  and  call  it  a  "  heroic "  thing  to 
suffer  pain  and  grief,  that  we  may  do  good 
to  our  fellow-men. \  We  may  all  do  that,  my 
children,  boys  and  girls  alike ;  and  we  ought 
to  do  it,  for  it  is  easier  now  than  ever,  and 
safer,  and  the  path  more  clear.  But  you 
shall  hear  how  the  Hellens  said  their  heroes 
worked,  three  thousand  years  ago.  The 
stories  are  not  all  true,  of  course,  nor  half 
of  them ;  you  are  not  simple  enough  to  fancy 
that :  but  the  meaning  of  them  is  true,  and 


PREFACE.  23 


true    forever,  and    that    is  —  "Do  right,  and 
God  will  help  you." 


FARLEY  COURT, 

Advent,  1855. 


[I  OWE  an  apology  to  the  few  scholars  who  may  hap- 
pen to  read  this  hasty  jeu  ffesprit,  for  the  inconsistent 
method  in  which  I  have  spelt  Greek  names.  The  rule 
which  I  have  tried  to  follow  has  been  this  :  When  the 
word  has  been  hopelessly  Latinized,  as  "  Phoebus "  has 
been,  I  have  left  it  as  it  usually  stands  ;  but  in  other 
cases  I  have  tried  to  keep  the  plain  Greek  spelling,  except 
when  it  would  have  seemed  pedantic,  or  when,  as  in  the 
word  "  Tiphus,"  I  should  have  given  an  altogether  wrong 
aotion  of  the  sound  of  the  word.  It  has  been  a  choice 
df  difficulties,  which  has  been  forced  on  me  by  our  strange 
Jiabit  of  introducing  boys  to  the  Greek  myths,  not  in  their 
original  shape,  but  in  a  Roman  disguise*] 


CONTENTS. 


STORY  I.— PERSEUS. 

PAGB 

PART  I.  —  How  PERSEUS  AND  HIS  MOTHER  CAME 

TO  SERIPIIOS. 27 

II.  —  How  PKRSKUS  VOWED  A    RASH   Yrow-  •  3G 

IE.  —  How  PERSEUS  SLKW  TIIK  GORGON   •••  55 

IV.  —  How  PERSEUS  CAME  TO  THE  2BTHIOP8.  72 

V.  —  How  PERSEUS  CAME  HOME  AGAIN-  •••  94 


STORY  II  —  THE  ARGONAUTS. 

PART  I.  —  How  THE  CENTAUR  TRAINED   THE  HE- 
ROES ON  PELION 107 

n.  —  How    JASON     LOST     HIS     SANDAL     IN 

AN  AUROS 1 24 

HI.  —  HOW  THEY   BUILT   THE    SHIP  ARGO  IN 

lOLCOS 141 

2 


26  CONTENTS. 

IV.  —  How  THE  ARGONAUTS  SAILED  TO  COL- 
CHIS     149 

V. — How  THE   ARGONAUTS    WERE    DRIVEN 

INTO    THE  UNKNOWN    $EA 195 

VI.  —  WHAT  WAS  THE  END  OF  THE  HEROES.  241 


STORY  III.  —  THESEUS. 

PART  1  — How  THESEUS  LIFTED  THE  STONE 251 

n.  —  How  THESEUS  SLEW  THE  DEVOURERS 

OF  MEN 260 

IQ.  —  How  THESEUS  SLEW  THE  MINOTAUR-  •  306 
IV.  —  How  THESEUS  FELL  BY  HIS  PHIDE 316 


STORY  I— PERSEUS. 

PART  L 

HOW  PERSEUS  AKD  HIS  MOTHER  CAME  TO 
SERIPHOS. 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  were  two  princes 
who  were  twins.  Their  names  were  Acri- 
sius  and  Prcetus,  and  they  lived  in  the 
pleasant  vale  of  Argos,  far  away  in  Hellas. 
They  had  fruitful  meadows  and  vineyards, 
sheep  and  oxen,  great  herds  of  horses  feed- 
ing down  in  Lerna  Fen,  and  all  that  men 
could  need  to  make  them  blest ;  and  yet 
they  were  wretched,  because  they  were 
jealous  of  each  other.  From  the  moment 
they  were  born  they  began  to  quarrel ; 
and  when  they  grew  up,  each  tried  to  take 


28  PERSEUS. 

away  the  other's  share  of  the  kingdom, 
and  keep  all  for  himself.  So,  first  Acrisius 
drove  out  Proetus  ;  and  he  went  across  the 
seas,  and  brought  home  a  foreign  princess 
for  his  wife,  and  foreign  warriors  to  help 
him,  who  were  called  Cyclopes ;  and  drove 
out  Acrisius  in  his  turn;  and  then  they 
fought  a  long  while  up  and  down  the  land, 
till  the  quarrel  was  settled ;  and  Acrisius 
took  Argos  and  one  half  the  land,  and 
Proetus  took  Tiryns  and  the  other  half. 
And  Proetus  and  his  Cyclopes  built  around 
Tiryns  great  walls  of  unhewn  stone,  which 
are  standing  to  this  day. 

But  there  came  a  prophet  to  that  hard- 
hearted Acrisius,  and  prophesied  against 
him,  and  said :  "  Because  you  have  risen 
up  against  your  own  blood,  your  own  blood 
shall  rise  up  against  you ;  because  you 
have  sinned  against  your  kindred,  by  your 
kindred  you  shall  be  punished.  Your 
daughter  Danae  shall  bear  a  son,  and  by 
that  son's  hand  you  shall  die.  So  the 


PERSEUS.  29 

gods  have  ordained,  and  it  will  surely 
come  to  pass." 

And  at  that,  Acrisius  was  very  much 
afraid  ;  but  he  did  not  mend  his  ways, 
He  h?d  been  cruel  to  his  own  family ;  and, 
instead  of  repenting  and  being  kind  to 
them,  he  went  on  to  be  more  cruel  than 
ever ;  for  he  shut  up  his  fair  daughter 
Danae  in  a  cavern  underground,  lined  with 
brass,  that  no  one  might  come  near  her. 
So  he  fancied  himself  more  cunning  than 
the  gods  ;  but  you  will  see  presently 
whether  he  was  able  to  escape  them. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  in  time  Danae 
bore  a  son  ;  so  beautiful  a  babe  that  any 
but  king  Acrisius  would  have  had  pity  on 
it.  But  he  had  no  pity.  For  he  took 
Danae  and  her  babe  down  to  the  sea-shore, 
and  put  them  into  a  great  chest,  and 
thrust  them  out  to  sea,  for  the  winds  and 
the  waves  to  carry  them  whithersoever 
they  would. 

The  northwest  wind  blew  freshly  out  of 


30  PERSEUS. 

the  blue  mountains,  and  down  the  pleasant 
:ale  of  Argos,  and  away  and  out  to  sea. 
And  away  and  out  to  sea  before  it,  floated, 
the  mother  and  her  babe,  while  all  who 
watched  them  wept,  save  that  cruel  father, 
king  Acrisius. 

So  they  floated  on  and  on,  and  the 
chest  danced  up  and  down  upon  the  bil- 
lows, and  the  baby  slept  upon  its  mother's 
breast  ;  but  the  poor  mother  could  not 
sleep,  but  watched  and  wept,  and  she  sang 
to  her  baby  as  they  floated  ;  and  the  song 
which  she  sang  you  shall  learn  yourselves 
some  day. 

And  now  they  are  past  the  last  blue 
headland,  and  in  the  open  sea ;  and  there 
is  nothing  round  them  but  the  waves,  and 
the  sky,  and  the  wind.  But  the  waves 
are  gentle,  and  the  sky  is  clear,  and  the 
breeze  is  tender  and  low  ;  for  these  are  the 
days  when  Halcyone  and  Ceyx  build  their 
nests,  and  no  storms  ever  ruffle  the  pleas 
ant  summer  sea. 


PERSEUS.  31 

And  who  were  Halcyone  and  Ceyx  ? 
You  shall  hear  while  the  chest  floats  on. 
Halcyone  was  a  fairy  maiden,  the  daughter 
of  the  beach  and  of  the  wind.  And  she 
loved  a  sailor  boy,  and  married  him  ;  and 
none  on  earth  were  so  happy  as  they. 
But  at  last  Ceyx  was  wrecked  ;  and 
before  he  could  swim  to  the  shore,  the 
billows  swallowed  him  up.  And  Halcyone 
saw  him  drowning,  and  leapt  into  the  sea 
to  him ;  but  in  vain.  Then  the  Immortals 
took  pity  on  them  both,  and  changed  them 
into  two  fair  sea-birds  ;  and  now  they 
build  a  floating  nest  every  year,  and  sail 
up  and  down  happily  forever,  upon  the 
pleasant  seas  of  Greece. 

So  a  night  passed  and  a  day  ;  and  a 
long  day  it  was  for  Danae  ;  and  another 
night  and  day  beside,  till  Danae  was  faint 
with  hunger  and  weeping,  and  yet  no  land 
appeared.  And  all  the  while  the  babe 
slept  quietly  ;  and  at  last  poor  Danae 
dropped  her  head  and  fell  asleep  likewise, 
with  her  cheek  against  her  babe's 


32  PERSEUS. 

After  a  while  she  awakened  suddenly ; 
for  the  chest  was  jarring  and  grinding, 
and  the  air  was  full  of  sound.  She  looked 
up,  and  over  her  head  were  mighty  cliffs, 
all  red  in  the  setting  sun,  and  around  her 
rocks  and  breakers,  and  flying  flakes  of 
foam.  She  clasped  her  hands  together,  and 
shrieked  aloud  for  help.  And  when  she 
cried,  help  met  her  ;  for  now  there  came 
over  the  rocks  a  tall  and  stately  man,  and 
looked  down  wondering  upon  poor  Danae 
tossing  about  in  the  chest  among  the 
waves. 

He  wore  a  rough  cloak  of  frieze,  and  on 
his  head  a  broad  hat  to  shade  his  face ;  in 
his  hand  he  carried  a  trident  for  spearing 
fish,  and  over  his  shoulder  was  a  casting- 
net  ;  but  Danae  could  see  that  he  was  no 
common  man  by  his  stature,  and  his  walk, 
and  his  flowing  golden  hair  and  beard  ; 
and  by  the  two  servants  who  came  behind 
him,  carrying  baskets  for  his  fish.  But 
she  had  hardly  time  to  look  ;it  him,  before 


PERSEUS.  33 

he  had  laid  aside  his  trident,  and  leapt 
down  the  rocks,  and  thrown  his  casting- 
net  so  surely  over  Danae  and  the  chest, 
that  he  drew  it,  and  her,  and  the  baby, 
safe  upon  a  ledge  of  rock. 

Then  the  fisherman  took  Danae  by  the 
hand,  and  lifted  her  out  of  the  chest,  and 
said : — 

"  0,  beautiful  damsel,  what  strange 
chance  has  brought  you  to  this  island  in 
so  frail  a  ship  ?  Who  are  you,  and 
whence  ?  Surely  you  are  some  king's 
daughter ;  and  this  boy  has  somewhat  more 
than  mortal." 

And  as  he  spoke,  he  pointed  to  the 
babe  ;  for  its  face  shone  like  the  morning 
star. 

But  Danae  only  held  down  her  head, 
and  sobbed  out  : — 

"  Tell  me  to  what  land  I  have  come,  un- 
happy that  I  am  ;  and  among  what  men  I 
have  fallen  ?  " 

And  he  said :  u  This  isle  is  called  vSeri- 
2* 


34  PERSEUS. 

phos,  and  I  am  a  Hellen,  and  dwell  in  it 
I  am  the  brother  of  Polydectes  the  king  ; 
and  men  call  me  Dictys  the  netter,  be- 
cause I  catch  the  fish  of  the  shore." 

Then  Danae  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and 
embraced  his  knees,  and  cried  :  — 

"  Oh,  Sir,  have  pity  upon  a  stranger, 
whom  a  cruel  doom  has  driven  to  your 
land  ;  and  let  me  live  in  your  house  as  a 
servant  ;  but  treat  me  honourably,  for  I  was 
once  a  king's  daughter,  and  this  my  boy 
(as  you  have  truly  said)  is  of  no  common 
race.  I  will  not  be  a  charge  to  you,  or 
eat  the  bread  of  idleness  ;  for  I  am  more 
skilful  in  weaving  and  embroidery,  than 
all  the  maidens  of  my  land." 

And  she  was  going  on ;  but  Dictys 
stopped  her,  and  raised  her  up,  and  said  : 

"  My  daughter,  I  am  old,  ani  my  hairs 
are  growing  gray  ;  while  I  have  no  chil- 
dren to  make  my  home  cheerful.  Come 
with  me,  then,  and  you  shall  be  a  daughter 
to  me  and  to  my  wife,  and  this  babe  shall 


PERSEUS.  35 

be  our  grandchild.  For  I  fear  the  gods, 
and  show  hospitality  to  all  strangers  ; 
knowing  that  good  deeds,  like  evil  ones, 
always  return  to  those  who  do  them." 

So  Danae  was  comforted,  and  went  home 
with  Dictys  the  good  lisherman,  and  was 
a  daughter  to  him  and  to  his  wife,  till 
fifteen  years  were  past. 


PART  IL 

HOW   PERSEUS    VOWED    A    RASH   VOW. 

FIFTEEN  years  were  past  and  gone,  and 
the  babe  was  now  grown  to  be  a  tall  lad 
and  a  sailor,  and  went  many  voyages  after 
merchandise  to  the  islands  round.  His 
mother  called  him  Perseus :  but  all  the 
people  in  Seriphos  said  that  he  was  not 
the  son  of  mortal  man,  and  called  him  the 
son  of  Zeus,  the  king  of  the  Immortals. 
For  though  he  was  but  fifteen,  he  was 
taller  by  a  head  than  any  man  in  the 
island  ;  and  he  was  the  most  skilful  of  all 
in  running  and  wrestling  and  boxing,  and 
in  throwing  the  quoit  and  the  javelin,  and 
in  rowing  with  the  oar,  and  in  playing  on 
the  harp,  a*id  in  all  which  befits  a  man. 


PERSEUS.  37 

And  he  was  brave  and  truthful,  gentle  and 
courteous,  for  good  old  Dictys  had  trained 
him  well ;  and  well  it  was  for  Perseus  that 
he  had  done  so.  For  now  Danae  and  her 
son  fell  into  great  danger,  and  Perseus  had 
need  of  all  his  wit  to  defend  his  mother 
and  himself. 

I  said  that  Dictys's  brother  was  Polydec- 
tes,  king  of  the  island.  He  was  not  a 
righteous  man,  like  Dictys :  but  greedy, 
and  cunning,  and  cruel.  And  when  he 
saw  fair  Danae,  he  wanted  to  marry  her. 
But  she  would  not ;  for  she  did  not  love 
him,  and  cared  for  no  one  but  her  boy, 
and  her  boy's  father,  whom  she  never  hoped 
to  see  again.  At  last  Polydectes  became 
furious;  and  while  Perseus  was  away  at 
sea,  he  took  poor  Danae  away  from  Dictys, 
saying,  "If  you  will  not  be  my  wife,  you 
shall  be  my  slave."  So  Danae  was  made 
a  slave,  and  had  to  fetch  water  from  the 
well,  and  grind  in  the  mill,  and  perhaps 
was  beaten,  and  wore  a  heavy  chain,  be- 


38  PERSEUS. 

cause  she  would  not  marry  that  cruel  king. 
But  Perseus  was  far  away  over  the  seas  in 
the  isle  of  Samos,  little  thinking  how  his 
mother  was  languishing  in  grief. 

Now  one  day  at  Samos,  while  the  ship 
was  lading,  Perseus  wandered  into  a  pleas- 
ant wood  to  get  out  of  the  sun,  and  sat 
down  on  the  turf,  and  fell  asleep.  And  as 
he  slept,  a  strange  dream  came  to  him ; 
the  strangest  dream  which  he  had  ever  had 
in  his  life. 

There  came  a  lady  to  him  through  the 
wood,  taller  than  he,  or  any  mortal  man: 
but  beautiful  exceedingly,  with  great  gray 
eyes,  clear  and  piercing,  but  strangely  soft 
and  mild.  On  her  head  was  a  helmet,  and 
in  her  hand  a  spear.  And  over  her  shoulder, 
above  her  long  blue  robes,  hung  a  goatskin, 
which  bore  up  a  mighty  shield  of  brass, 
polished  like  a  mirror.  She  stood  and 
looked  at  him  with  her  clear  gray  eyes  ; 
and  Perseus  saw  that  her  eyelids  never 
moved,  nor  her  eyeballs,  but  looked  straight 


PERSEUS.  39 

through  and  through  him,  and  into  his 
very  heart,  as  if  she  could  see  all  the 
secrets  of  his  soul,  and  knew  all  that  he 
had  ever  thought  or  longed  for  since  the 
day  that  he  was  born.  And  Perseus  dropped 
his  eyes,  trembling  and  blushing,  as  the 
wonderful  lady  spoke. 

"  Perseus,  you  must  do  an  errand  for  me." 
"  Who  are  you,  lady  ?  And  how  do  you 
know  my  name  ?  " 

"  I  am  Pallas  Athene* ;  and  I  know  the 
thoughts  of  all  men's  hearts,  and  discern 
their  manhood  or  their  baseness.  And  from 
the  souls  of  clay  I  turn  away ;  and  they 
are  blest,  but  not  by  me.  They  fatten  at 
ease,  like  sheep  in  the  pasture,  and  eat 
what  they  did  not  sow,  like  oxen  in  the 
stall.  They  grow  and  spread,  like  the 
gourd  along  the  ground :  but  like  the 
gourd,  they  give  no  shade  to  the  traveller ; 
and  when  they  are  ripe  death  gathers  them, 
and  they  go  down  unloved  into  hell,  and 
their  name  vanishes  out  of  the  land. 


40  PERSEUS. 

"  But  to  the  souls  of  fire  I  give  more 
fire,  and  to  those  who  are  manful  I  give  a 
might  more  than  man's.  These  are  the 
heroes,  the  sons  of  the  Immortals,  who  are 
blest,  but  not  like  the  souls  of  clay.  For 
I  drive  them  forth  by  strange  paths,  Per- 
seus, that  they  may  fight  the  Titans  and 
the  monsters,  the  enemies  of  Gods  and 
men.  Through  doubt  and  need,  danger  anp 
battle.  I  drive  them  ;  and  some  of  them 
are  slain  in  the  flower  of  youth,  no  man 
knows  when  or  where ;  and  some  of  them 
svin  noble  names,  and  a  fair  and  green  old 
ige  ;  but  what  will  be  their  latter  end  I 
know  not,  and  none,  save  Zeus,  the  father 
of  Gods  and  men.  Tell  me  now,  Perseus, 
which  of  these  two  sorts  of  men  seem  to 
you  more  blest  ?  " 

Then  Perseus  answered,  boldly  :  "  Better 
to  die  in  the  flower  of  youth,  on  the 
chance  of  winning  a  noble  name,  than  to 
live  at  ease  like  the  sheep,  and  die  unloved 
and  unrenownecl," 


PERSEUS.  41 

Then  that  strange  lady  laughed,  and  held 
up  her  brazen  shield,  and  cried :  "  See  here, 
Perseus ;  dare  you  face  such  a  monster  as 
this,  and  slay  it,  that  I  may  place  its  head 
upon  this  shield  ?  " 

And  in  the  mirror  of  the  shield  there 
appeared  a  face,  and  as  Perseus  looked  on 
it  his  blood  ran  cold.  It  was  the  face  of 
a  beautiful  woman ;  but  her  cheeks  were 
pale  as  death,  and  her  brows  were  knit 
with  everlasting  pain,  and  her  lips  were 
thin  and  bitter  like  a  snake's  ;  and  instead 
of  hair,  vipers  wreathed  about  her  temples, 
and  shot  out  their  forked  tongues ;  while 
round  her  head  were  folded  wings  like  an 
eagle's,  and  upon  her  bosom  claws  of  brass. 

And  Perseus  looked  awhile,  and  then 
said :  "  If  there  is  any  thing  so  fierce  and 
foul  on  earth,  it  were  a  noble  deed  to  kill 
it.  Where  can  I  find  the  monster  ?  " 

Then  the  strange  lady  smiled  again,  and 
said :  "  Not  yet ;  you  are  too  young,  and  too 
unskilled  5  for  this  is  Medusa  the  Gorgon, 


42  PERSEUS. 

the  mother  of  a  monstrous  brood.  Return 
to  your  home,  and  do  the  work  which 
waits  there  for  you.  You  must  play  the 
man  in  that  before  I  can  think  you  worthy 
to  go  in  search  of  the  Gorgon." 

Then  Perseus  would  have  spoken,  but 
the  strange  lady  vanished,  and  he  awoke  ; 
and  behold,  it  was  a  dream.  But  day  and 
night  Perseus  saw  before  him  the  face  of 
that  dreadful  woman,  with  the  vipers  writh- 
ing round  her  head. 

So  he  returned  home ;  and  when  he  came 
to  Seriphos,  the  first  thing  which  he  heard 
was  that  his  mother  was  a  slave  in  the 
house  of  Polydectes. 

Grinding  his  teeth  with  rage,  he  went 
out,  and  away  to  the  king's  palace,  and 
through  the  men's  rooms,  and  the  women's 
rooms,  and  so  through  all  the  house,  (for 
no  one  dared  to  stop  him,  so  terrible  and 
fair  was  he,)  till  he  found  his  mother  sitting 
on  the  floor,  turning  the  stone  hand-mill,  and 
weeping  as  she  turned  it.  And  he  lifted 


PERSEUS.  43 

her  up,  and  kissed  her,  and  bade  her  follow 
him  forth.  But  before  they  could  pass  out 
of  the  room,  Polydectes  came  in,  raging. 
And  when  Perseus  saw  him,  he  flew  upon 
him  as  the  mastiff  flies  on  the  boar.  "  Vil- 
lain and  tyrant!"  he  cried;  "is  this  your 
respect  for  the  Gods,  and  thy  mercy  to 
strangers  and  widows  ?  You  shall  die ! " 
And  because  he  had  no  sword,  he  caught 
up  the  stone  hand-mill,  and  he  lifted  it  to 
dash  out  Polydectes's  brains. 

But  his  mother  clung  to  him,  shrieking, 
"Oh,  my  son,  we  are  strangers,  and  help- 
less in  the  land;  and  if  you  kill  the  king, 
all  the  people  will  fall  on  us,  and  we  shall 
both  die." 

Good  Dictys,  too,  who  had  come  in, 
entreated  him.  "Remember  that  he  is  my 
brother.  Remember  how  I  have  brought 
you  up,  and  trained  you  as  my  own  son, 
and  spare  him  for  my  sake." 

Then  Perseus  lowered  his  hand;  and 
Polydectes,  who  had  been  trembling  all 


44  PERSEUS. 

this  while  like  a  coward,  because  he  kne\\ 
that  he  was  in  the  wrong,  let  Perseus  and 
his  mother  pass. 

Perseus  took  his  mother  to  the  temple 
of  Athene,  and  there  the  priestess  made 
her  one  of  the  temple-sweepers;  for  there 
they  knew  she  would  be  safe,  and  not 
even  Polydectes  would  dare  to  drag  her 
away  from  the  altar.  And  there  Perseus, 
and  the  good  Dictys,  and  his  wife,  came 
to  visit  her  every  day;  while  Polydectes, 
not  being  able  to  get  what  he  wanted 
by  force,  cast  about  in  his  wicked  heart 
how  he  might  get  it  by  cunning. 

Now  he  was  sure  that  he  could  never 
get  back  Banae  as  long  as  Perseus  was  in 
the  island ;  so  he  made  a  plot  to  rid  him- 
self of  him.  And  first  he  pretended  to 
have  forgiven  Perseus,  and  to  have  forgot- 
ten Danae ;  so  that,  for  a  while,  all  went 
as  smoothly  as  ever. 

Next  he  proclaimed  a  great  feast,  and 
invited  to  it  all  the  chiefs,  and  land-owners, 


PERSEUS.  45 

and  the  young  men  of  the  island,  and 
among  them  Perseus,  that  they  might  all 
do  him  homage  as  their  king,  and  eat  of 
his  banquet  in  his  hall. 

On  the  appointed  day  they  all  came ; 
and,  as  the  custom  was  then,  each  guest 
brought  his  present  with  him  to  the  king : 
one  a  horse,  another  a  shawl,  or  a  ring,  or 
a  sword ;  and  those  who  had  nothing  better 
brought  a  basket  of  grapes,  or  of  game ; 
but  Perseus  brought  nothing,  for  he  had 
nothing  to  bring,  being  but  a  poor  sailor- 
lad. 

He  was  ashamed,  however,  to  go  into 
the  king's  presence  without  his  gift,  and 
he  was  too  proud  to  ask  Dictys  to  lend 
him  one.  So  he  stood  at  the  door  sorrow- 
fully, watching  the  rich  men  go  in ;  and 
his  face  grew  very  red  as  they  pointed  at 
him,  and  smiled,  and  whispered,  "  What  has 
that  foundling  to  give?" 

Now,  this  was  what  Polydectes  wanted ; 
and  as  soon  as  he  heard  that  Perseus 


46  PERSEUS. 

stood  without,  he  bade  them  bring  him  in, 
and  asked  him  scornfully  before  them  all, 
— "  Am  I  not  your  king,  Perseus,  and  have 
I  not  invited  you  to  my  feast?  Where  is 
your  present,  then?" 

Perseus  blushed  and  stammered,  while 
all  the  proud  men  round  laughed,  and  some 
of  them  began  jeering  him  openly.  "  This 
fellow  was  thrown  ashore  here  like  a  piece 
of  weed  or  drift  wood,  and  yet  he  is  too 
proud  to  bring  a  gift  to  the  king." 

"And  though  he  does  not  know  who  his 
father  is,  he  is  vain  enough  to  let  the  old 
women  call  him  the  son  of  Zeus." 

And  so  forth,  till  poor  Perseus  grew  mad 
with  shame,  and  hardly  knowing  what  he 
said,  cried  out,  —  "A  present !  who  are  you 
who  talk  of  presents  ?  See  if  I  do  not 
bring  a  nobler  one  than  all  of  yours  to- 
gether ! " 

So  he  said,  boasting;  and  yet  he  felt  in 
his  heart  that  he  was  braver  than  all  those 
scoffers,  and  more  able  to  do  some  glorious 
deed. 


PERSEUS.  47 

"  Hear  him !  Hear  the  boaster !  What  is 
it  to  be?"  cried  they  all,  laughing  louder 
than  ever. 

Then  his  dream  at  Samos  came  into  his 
mind,  and  he  cried  aloud,  "The  head  of 
the  Gorgon." 

He  was  half  afraid  after  he  had  said  the 
words;  for  all  laughed  louder  than  ever, 
and  Polydectes  loudest  of  all. 

"You  have  promised  to  bring  me  the 
Gorgon's  head?  Then  never  appear  again 
in  this  island  without  it.  Go ! " 

Perseus  ground  his  teeth  with  rage,  for 
he  saw  that  he  had  fallen  into  a  trap ;  but 
his  promise  lay  upon  him,  and  he  went 
out  without  a  word. 

Down  to  the  cliffs  he  went,  and  looked 
across  the  broad  blue  sea ;  and  he  wondered 
if  his  dream  were  true,  and  prayed  in  the 
bitterness  of  his  soul. 

"  Pallas  Athene,  was  my  dream  true  ? 
and  shall  I  slay  the  Gorgon  ?  If  thou  didst 
really  show  me  her  face,  let  me  not  come 


48  PERSEUS. 

to  shame  as  a  liar  and  boastful.  Rashly 
and  angrily  I  promised  :  but  cunningly  and 
patiently  will  I  perform." 

But  there  was  no  answer,  nor  sign ; 
neither  thunder  or  any  appearance ;  not 
even  a  cloud  in  the  sky. 

And  three  times  Perseus  called  weeping. 
"  Rashly  and  angrily  I  promised  :  but  cun- 
ningly and  patiently  will  I  perform." 

Then  he  saw  afar  off  above  the  sea  a 
small  white  cloud,  as  bright  as  silver.  And 
it  came  on,  nearer  and  nearer,  till  its 
brightness  dazzled  his  eyes. 

Perseus  wondered  at  that  strange  cloud, 
for  there  was  no  other  cloud  all  round  the 
sky;  and  he  trembled  as  it  touched  the 
cliff  below.  And  as  it  touched,  it  broke, 
and  parted,  and  within  it  appeared  Pallas 
Athene,  a£  he  had  seen  her  at  Samos  in 
his  dream,  and  beside  her  a  young  man 
more  light-limbed  than  the  stag,  whose  eyes 
were  like  sparks  of  fire.  By  his  side  was 
a  scimitar  of  diamond,  all  of  one  clear 


PERSEUS.  49 

precious  stone,  and  on  his  feet  were  golden 
sandals,  from  the  heels  of  which  grew  liv- 
ing wings. 

They  looked  upon  Perseus  keenly,  and 
yet  they  never  moved  their  eyes ;  and 
they  came  up  the  cliffs  towards  him  more 
swiftly  than  the  sea-gull,  and  yet  they  never 
moved  their  feet,  nor  did  the  breeze  stir 
the  robes  about  their  limbs ;  only  the  wings 
of  the  youth's  sandals  quivered,  like  a 
hawk's  when  he  hangs  above  the  cliff. 
And  Perseus  fell  down  and  worshipped,  for 
he  knew  that  they  were  more  than  man. 

But  Athene*  stood  before  him  and  spoke 
gently,  and  bid  him  have  no  fear.  Then — 

"  Perseus,"  she  said,  "  he  who  overcomes 
ID  one  trial  merits  thereby  a  sharper  trial 
still.  You  have  braved  Polydectes,  and 
done  manfully.  Dare  you  brave  Medusa 
the  Gorgon?" 

And  Perseus  said,  "  Try  me ;  for  since 
you  spoke  to  me  in  Samos,  a  new  soul 
has  come  into  my  breast,  and  I  should  be 
3 


50  PEHSLUS. 

ashamed  not  to  dare  any  thing  which  I 
can  do.  Show  me.  then,  how  I  can  do 
this." 

"  Perseus,"  said  Athene,  "  think  well  be- 
fore you  attempt ;  for  this  deed  requires  a 
seven  years'  journey,  in  which  you  cannot 
repent  or  turn  back,  nor  escape  ;  but  if 
your  heart  fails  you,  you  must  die  in  the 
unshapen  land,  where  no  man  will  ever  find 
your  bones." 

"  Better  so  than  live  here,  useless  and 
despised,"  said  Perseus.  "  Tell  me,  then, 
oh  tell  me,  fair  and  wise  Goddess,  of  your 
great  kindness  and  condescension,  how  I 
can  do  but  this  one  thing,  and  then,  if 
need  be,  die  !  " 

Then  Athene  smiled  and  said, — 

"  Be  patient,  and  listen ;  for  if  you  for- 
get my  words,  you  will  indeed  die.  You 
must  go  northward  to  the  country  of  the 
Hyperboreans,  who  live  beyond  the  pole,  at 
the  sources  of  the  cold  north  wind;  till 
you  find  the  three  Grey  Sisters,  who  have 


PERSEUS.  51 

but  one  eye  and  one  tooth  between  then? 
You  must  ask  them  the  way  to  the 
Nymphs,  the  daughters  of  the  Evening 
Star,  who  dance  about  the  golden  tree,  in 
the  Atlantic  island  of  the  west.  They  will 
tell  you  the  way  to  the  Gorgon,  that  you 
may  slay  her,  my  enemy,  the  mother  of 
monstrous  beasts.  Once  she  was  a  maiden 
as  beautiful  as  morn,  till  in  her  pride  she 
sinned  a  sin  at  which  the  sun  hid  his  face ; 
and  from  that  day  her  hair  was  turned  to 
vipers,  and  her  hands  to  eagle's  claws ;  and 
her  heart  was  filled  with  shame  and  rage, 
and  her  lips  with  bitter  venom ;  and  her 
eyes  became  so  terrible  that  whosoever 
looks  on  them  is  turned  to  stone;  and  her 
children  are  the  winged  horse,  and  the 
giant  of  the  golden  sword ;  and  her  grand- 
children are  Echidna  the  witch-adder,  and 
Geryon  the  three-headed  tyrant,  who  feeds 
his  herds  beside  the  herds  of  hell.  So  she 
became  the  sister  of  the  Gorgons,  Stheino 
and  Euryte  the  abhorred,  the  daughters  of 


#  PERSEUS. 

the  Queen  of  the  Sea.  Touch  them  not, 
for  they  are  immortal :  but  bring  me  only 
Medusa's  head." 

"And  I  will  bring  it!"  said  Perseus; 
"  but  how  am  I  to  escape  her  eyes  ?  Will 
she  not  freeze  me  too  into  stone  ?  " 

u  You  shall  take  this  polished  shield," 
said  Athene* ;  "  and  when  you  come  near  her 
look  not  at  her  herself,  but  at  her  image 
in  the  brass ;  so  you  may  strike  her  safely. 
And  when  you  have  struck  off  her  head, 
wrap  it,  with  your  face  turned  away,  in  the 
folds  of  the  goat-skin  on  which  the  shield 
hangs,  the  hide  of  Amaltheie,  the  nurse  of 
the  JEgis-holder.  So  you  will  bring  it  safely 
back  to  me,  and  win  to  yourself  renown 
and  a  place  among  the  heroes  who  feast 
with  the  Immortals  upon  the  peak  where 
no  winds  blow." 

Then  Perseus  said,  "I  will  go,  though  I 
die  in  going.  But  how  shall  I  cross  the 
seas  without  a  ship  ?  Arid  who  will  show 
me  my  way  ?  And  when  I  find  her,  how 


PERSEUS.  53 

I  slay  her,  if  her  scales  be  iron  and 
brass  ? " 

Then  the  young  man  spoke :  "  These 
sandals  of  mine  will  bear  you  across  the 
seas,  and  over  hill  and  dale  like  a  bird,  as 
they  bear  me  all  day  long ;  for  I  am 
Hermes,  the  far-famed  Argus-slayer,  the 
messenger  of  the  Immortals  who  dwell  on 
Olympus." 

Then  Perseus  fell  down  and  worshipped, 
while  the  young  man  spoke  again. 

"The  sandals  themselves  will  guide  you 
on  the  road,  for  they  are  divine  and  cannot 
stray ;  and  this  sword  itself,  the  Argus- 
slayer,  will  kill  her,  for  it  is  divine,  and 
needs  no  second  stroke.  Arise,  and  gird 
them  on,  and  go  forth." 

So  Perseus  arose,  and  girded  on  the 
sandals  and  the  sword. 

'And  Athene*  cried,  "Now  leap  from  the 
cliff,  and  be  gone. 

But  Perseus  lingered. 

"May  I  not   bid  farewell  to  my  mother 


54  PERSEUS. 

and  to  Dictys?  And  may  I  not  offer 
burnt-offerings  to  you,  and  to  Hermes,  the 
far-famed  Argus-slayer,  and  to  Father  Zeus 
above?" 

"  You  shall  not  bid  farewell  to  your 
mother,  lest  your  heart  relent  at  her  weep- 
ing. I  will  comfort  her  and  Dictys  until 
you  return  in  peace.  Nor  shall  you  offer 
burnt-offerings  to  the  Olympians;  for  your 
offering  shall  be  Medusa's  head.  Leap, 
and  trust  in  the  armour  of  the  Immortals." 

Then  Perseus  looked  down  the  cliff  and 
shuddered;  but  he  was  ashamed  to  show 
his  dread.  Then  he  thought  of  Medusa 
and  the  renown  before  him,  and  he  leaped 
into  the  empty  air. 

And  behold,  instead  of  falling  he  floated, 
and  stood,  and  ran  along  the  sky.  He 
looked  back,  but  Athene  had  vanished, 
and  Hermes;  and  the  sandals  led  him  on 
northward  ever,  like  a  crane  who  follows 
the  spring  toward  the  Ister  fens. 


PART    III. 

HOW  PERSEUS   SLEW  THE   GORGON. 

So  Perseus  started  on  his  journey,  going 
dry-shod  over  land  and  sea;  and  his  heart 
was  high  and  joyful,  for  the  winged  san- 
dals bore  him  each  day  a  seven  days' 
journey. 

And  he  went  by  Cythnus,  and  by  Ceos, 
and  the  pleasant  Cyclades  to  Attica;  and 
past  Athens,  and  Thebes,  and  the  Copaic 
lake,  and  up  the  vale  of  Cephissus,  and 
past  the  peaks  of  (Eta  and  Pindus,  and 
over  the  rich  Thessalian  plains,  till  the 
sunny  hills  of  Greece  were  behind  him, 
and  before  him  were  the  wilds  of  the 
north.  Then  he  passed  the  Thracian  moun- 
tains, and  many  a  barbarous  tribe,  Paeons 


56  PERSEUS. 

and  Dardans  and  Triballi,  till  he  came  to 
the  Ister  stream,  and  the  dreary  Scythian 
plains.  And  he  walked  across  the  Ister 
dry-shod,  and  away  through  the  moors  and 
fens,  day  and  night  toward  the  bleak 
northwest,  turning  neither  to  the  right 
hand  nor  the  left,  till  he  came  to  the 
Unshapen  Land,  and  the  place  which  has 
no  name. 

And  seven  days  he  walked  through  it, 
on  a  path  which  few  can  tell;  for  those 
who  have  trodden  it  like  least  to  speak 
of  it,  and  those  who  go  there  again  in 
dreams  are  glad  enough  when  they  awake ; 
till  he  came  to  the  edge  of  the  everlasting 
night,  where  the  air  was  full  of  feathers, 
and  the  soil  was  hard  with  ice ;  and  there 
at  last  he  found  the  three  Grey  Sisters, 
by  the  shore  of  the  freezing  sea,  nodding 
upon  a  white  log  of  drift-wood,  beneath 
the  cold  white  winter  moon ;  and  they 
chanted  a  low  song  together,  "Why  the 
old  times  were  better  than  the  new." 


PERSEUS.  57 

There  was  no  living  thing  around  them, 
not  a  fly,  not  a  inoss  upon  the  rocks. 
Neither  seal  nor  sea-gull  dare  come  near, 
lest  the  ice  should  clutch  them  in  its 
claws.  The  surge  broke  up  in  foam,  but 
it  fell  again  in  flakes  of  snow;  and  it 
frosted  the  hair  of  the  three  Grey  Sisters, 
and  the  bones  in  the  ice-cliff  above  their 
heads.  They  passed  the  eye  from  one  to 
the  other,  but  for  all  that  they  could  not 
see;  and  they  passed  the  tooth  from  one 
to  the  other,  but  for  all  that  they  could 
not  eat;  and  they  sat  in  the  full  glare  of 
the  moon,  but  they  were  none  the  warmer 
for  her  beams.  And  Perseus  pitied  the 
three  Grey  Sisters;  but  they  did  not  pity 
themselves. 

So  he  said,  "  Oh  venerable  mothers,  wis- 
dom is  the  daughter  of  old  age.  You 
therefore  should  know  many  things.  Tell 
me,  if  you  can,  the  path  to  the  Gorgon." 

Then  one  cried,  "Who  is  this  who  re- 
proaches us  with  old  age?"  And  another, 
3* 


58  PERSEUS. 

"This  is  the  voice  of  one  of  the  children 
of  men." 

And  he,  "  I  do  not  reproach,  but  honour 
your  old  age,  and  I  am  one  of  the  sons  of 
men  and  of  the  heroes.  The  rulers  of 
Olympus  have  sent  me  to  you  to  ask  the 
way  to  the  Gorgon." 

Then  one  —  "There  are  new  rulers  in 
Olympus,  and  all  new  things  are  bad." 
And  another  —  "We  hate  your  rulers,  and 
the  heroes,  and  all  the  children  of  men. 
We  are  the  kindred  of  the  Titans,  and  the 
Giants,  and  the  Gorgons,  and  the  ancient 
monsters  of  the  deep."  And  another  — 
"Who  is  this  rash  and  insolent  man,  who 
pushes  unbidden  into  our  world  ? "  And 
the  first  — "  There  never  was  such  a  world 
as  ours,  nor  will  be ;  if  we  let  him  see  it, 
he  will  spoil  it  all." 

Then  one  cried,  "  Give  me  the  eye,  that 
I  may  see  him  ; "  and  another,  "  Give  me 
the  tooth,  that  I  may  bite  him."  But  Per- 
seus, when  he  saw  that  they  were  foolish 


PERSEUS.  59 

and  proud,  and  did  not  love  the  children 
of  men,  left  off  pitying  them,  and  said  to 
himself,  "  Hungry  men  must  needs  be  hasty ; 
if  I  stay  making  many  words  here,  I  shall 
be  starved."  Then  he  stepped  close  to 
them,  and  watched  till  they  passed  the  eye 
from  hand  to  hand.  And  as  they  groped 
about  between  themselves,  he  held  out  his 
own  hand  gently,  till  one  of  them  put  the 
eye  into  it,  fancying  that  it  was  the  hand 
of  her  sister.  Then  he  sprang  back,  and 
laughed,  and  cried  — 

"  Cruel  and  proud  old  women,  I  have 
your  eye ;  and  I  will  throw  it  into  the  sea, 
unless  you  tell  me  the  path  to  che  Gorgon, 
and  swear  to  me  that  you  tell  me  right." 

Then  they  wept,  and  chattered,  and 
scolded ;  but  in  vain.  They  were  forced  to 
tell  the  truth,  though  when  they  told  it, 
Perseus  could  hardly  make  out  the  road. 

"You  must  go,"  they  said,  "foolish  boy, 
to  the  southward,  into  the  ugly  glare  of 
the  sun,  till  you  come  to  Atlas  the  Giant, 


60  PERSEUS. 

who  holds  the  heaven  and  the  earth  apart. 
And  you  must  ask  his  daughters,  the  Hespe- 
rides,  who  are  young  and  foolish  like  your- 
self. And  now  give  us  back  our  eye ;  for 
we  have  forgotten  all  the  rest." 

So  Perseus  gave  them  back  their  eye ; 
but  instead  of  using  it,  they  nodded  and 
fell  fast  asleep,  and  were  turned  into  blocks 
of  ice,  till  the  tide  came  up  and  washed 
them  all  away.  And  now  they  float  up 
and  down  like  icebergs  forever,  weeping 
whenever  they  meet  the  sunshine,  and  the 
fruitful  summer,  and  the  warm  south  wind, 
which  fill  young  hearts  with  joy. 

But  Perseus  leaped  away  to  the  south- 
ward, leaving  the  snow  and  the  ice  behind ; 
past  the  isle  of  the  Hyperboreans,  and  the 
tin  isles,  and  the  long  Iberian  shore  ;  while 
the  sun  rose  higher  day  by  day  upon  a 
bright  blue  summer  sea.  And  the  terns 
and  the  sea-gulls  swept  laughing  round  his 
head,  and  called  to  him  to  stop  and  play, 
and  the  dolphins  gambolled  up  as  he  passed, 


PERSEUS.  61 

and  offered  to  carry  him  on  their  backs. 
And  all  night  long  the  sea-nymphs  sang 
sweetly,  and  the  Tritons  blew  upon  their 
conchs,  as  they  played  round  Galataea  their 
queen,  in  her  car  of  pearled  shells.  Day  by 
day  the  sun  rose  higher,  and  leaped  more 
swiftly  into  the  sea  at  night,  and  more 
swiftly  out  of  the  sea  at  dawn ;  while  Per- 
seus skimmed  over  the  billows  like  a  sea- 
gull, and  his  feet  were  never  wetted  ;  and 
leapt  on  from  wave  to  wave,  and  his  limbs- 
were  never  weary,  till  he  saw  far  away 
a  mighty  mountain,  all  rose-red  in  the  set- 
ting sun.  Its  feet  were  wrapped  in  forests, 
and  its  head  in  wreaths  of  cloud ;  and 
Perseus  knew  that  it  was  Atlas,  who  holds 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  apart. 

He  came  to  the  mountain,  and  leapt  on 
shore,  and  wandered  upward  among  pleasant 
valleys  and  waterfalls,  and  tall  trees  and 
strange  ferns  and  flowers;  but  there  wa= 
no  smoke  rising  from  any  glen,  nor  house, 
nor  sign  of  man. 


62  PERSEUS. 

At  last  he  heard  sweet  voices  singing ; 
and  he  guessed  that  he  was  come  to  the 
garden  of  the  Nymphs,  the  daughters  of 
the  Evening  Star. 

They  sang  like  nightingales  among  the 
thickets,  and  Perseus  stopped  to  hear  their 
song;  but  the  words  which  they  spoke  he 
could  not  understand ;  no,  nor  no  man  after 
him  for  many  a  hundred  years.  So  he 
stepped  forward  and  saw  them  dancing, 
hand  in  hand  around  the  charmed  tree, 
which  bent  under  its  golden  fruit;  and 
round  the  tree-foot  was  coiled  the  dragon, 
old  Ladon  the  sleepless  snake,  who  lies 
there  forever,  listening  to  the  song  of  the 
maidens,  blinking  and  watching  with  dry 
bright  eyes. 

Then  Perseus  stopped,  not  because  he 
feared  the  dragon,  but  because  he  was 
bashful  before  those  fair  maids ;  but  when 
they  saw  him,  they  too  stopped,  and  called 
to  him  with  trembling  voices, — 

"  Who  are  you  ?     Are  you  Heracles  the 


PERSEUS.  63 

mighty,  who  will  come  to  rob  our  garden, 
and  carry  off  our  golden  fruit?"  And  he 
answered, 

"I  am  not  Heracles  the  mighty,  and  I 
want  none  of  your  golden  fruit.  Tell  me, 
fair  nymphs,  the  way  which  leads  to  the 
Gorgon,  that  I  may  go  on  my  way  and 
slay  her." 

"  Not  yet,  not  yet,  fair  boy ;  come  dance 
with  us  around  the  tree,  in  the  garden 
which  knows  no  winter,  the  home  of  the 
south  wind  and  the  sun.  Come  hither 
and  play  with  us  awhile ;  we  have  danced 
alone  here  for  a  thousand  years,  and  our 
hearts  are  weary  with  longing  for  a  play- 
fellow. So  come,  come,  come ! " 

"I  cannot  dance  with  you,  fair  maidens, 
for  I  must  do  the  errand  of  the  Immortals. 
So  tell  me  the  way  to  the  Gorgon,  lest  I 
wander  and  perish  in  the  waves." 

Then  they  sighed  and  wept ;  and  an- 
swered :  — 

"  The  Gorgon  !  she  will  freeze  you  into 
stone." 


64  PERSEUS. 

"  It  is  better  to  die  like  a  hero  than  to 
live  like  an  ox  in  a  stall.  The  Immortals 
have  lent  me  weapons,  and  they  will  give 
me  wit  to  use  them." 

Then  they  sighed  again  and  answered  : 
"  Fair  .boy,  if  you  are  bent  on  your  own 
ruin,  be  it  so.  We  know  not  the  way  to 
the  Gorgon  ;  but  we  will  ask  the  giant 
Atlas,  above  upon  the  mountain  peak,  the 
brother  of  our  father,  the  silver  Evening 
Star.  He  sits  aloft,  and  sees  across  the 
ocean,  and  far  away  into  the  Unshapen 
Land." 

So  they  went  up  the  mountain  to  Atlas, 
their  uncle,  and  Perseus  went  up  with 
them.  And  they  found  the  giant  kneel- 
ing, as  he  held  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
apart. 

They  asked  him,  and  he  answered  mild- 
ly, pointing  to  the  sea-board  with  his 
mighty  hand  :  "  I  can  see  the  Gorgons 
lying  on  an  island  far  away,  but  this 
youth  can  never  come  near  them,  unless 


PERSEUS.  65 

he  has  the  hat  of  darkness,  which  who- 
soever wears  cannot  be  seen." 

Then  cried  Perseus,  "  Where  is  that  hat, 
that  1  may  find  it  ? " 

But  the  giant  smiled.  "  No  living  mor- 
tal can  find  that  hat,  for  it  lies  in  the 
depths  of  Hades,  in  the  regions  of  the 
dead.  But  my  nieces  are  immortal,  and 
they  shall  fetch  it  for  you,  if  you  will 
promise  me  one  thing  and  keep  your 
faith." 

Then  Perseus  promised  ;  and  the  giant 
said  :  "  When  you  come  back  with  the 
head  of  Medusa,  you  shall  show  me  the 
beautiful  horror  ;  that  I  may  lose  my 
feeling  and  my  breathing,  and  become  a 
stone  forever  ;  for  it  is  weary  labor  for  me 
to  hold  the  heavens  and  the  earth  apart." 

Then  Perseus  promised  ;  and  the  eldest 
of  the  nymphs  went  down,  and  into  a 
dark  cavern  among  the  cliffs,  out  of  which 
came  smoke  and  thunder,  for  it  was  one 
'of  the  mouths  of  Hell. 


66  PERSEUS. 

And  Perseus  and  the  nymphs  sat  down 
seven  days,  and  waited  trembling,  till  the 
nymph  came  up  again  ;  and  her  face  was 
pale,  and  her  eyes  dazzled  with  the  light, 
for  she  had  been  long  in  the  dreary  dark- 
ness ;  but  in  her  hand  was  the  magic  hat. 

Then  all  the  nymphs  kissed  Perseus, 
and  wept  over  him  a  long  while  ;  but  he 
was  only  impatient  to  be  gone.  And  at 
last  they  put  the  hat  upon  his  head,  and 
he  vanished  out  of  their  sight. 

But  Perseus  went  on  boldly,  past  many 
an  ugly  sight,  far  away  into  the  heart  of 
the  Unshapen  Land,  beyond  the  streams 
of  Ocean,  to  the  isles  where  no  ship  cruises, 
where  is  neither  night  nor  day,  where 
nothing  is  in  its  right  place,  and  nothing 
has  a  name  ;  till  he  heard  the  rustle  of 
the  Gorgons'  wings,  and  saw  the  glitter 
of  their  brazen  talons  ;  and  then  he  knew 
that  it  was  time  to  halt,  lest  Medusa 
should  freeze  him  into  stone. 

He    thought    awhile    with    himself,    and 


PERSEUS.  67 

remembered  Athene's  words.  He  rose  aloft 
into  the  air,  and  held  the  mirror  of  the 
shield  above  his  head,  and  looked  up  into 
it  that  he  might  see  all  that  was  below 
him. 

And  he  saw  the  three  Gorgons  sleeping, 
as  huge  as  elephants.  He  knew  that  they 
could  not  see  him,  because  the  hat  of 
darkness  hid  him  ;  and  yet  he  trembled  as 
he  sank  down  near  them,  so  terrible  were 
those  brazen  claws. 

Two  of  the  Gorgons  were  foul  as  swine, 
and  lay  sleeping  heavily,  as  swine  sleep, 
with  their  mighty  wings  outspread  ;  but 
Medusa  tossed  to  and  fro  restlessly,  and  as 
she  tossed,  Perseus  pitied  her,  she  looked 
so  fair  and  sad.  Her  plumage  was  like 
the  rainbow,  and  her  face  was  like  the 
face  of  a  nymph,  only  her  eyebrows  were 
knit,  and  her  lips  clenched,  with  everlast- 
ing care  and  pain  ;  and  her  long  neck 
gleamed  so  white  in  the  mirror,  that  Per- 
seus had  not  the  heart  to  strike,  and  said : 


68  PERSEUS. 

"Ah,  that  it  had  been  either  of  her  sis- 
ters !  " 

But  as  he  looked,  from  among  her 
tresses  the  vipers'  heads  awoke,  and  peeped 
up  with  their  bright  dry  eyes,  and  showed 
their  fangs,  and  hissed  ;  and  Medusa,  as 
she  tossed,  threw  back  her  wings,  and 
showed  her  brazen  claws  ;  and  Perseus  saw 
that,  for  all  her  beauty,  she  was  as  foul 
and  venomous  as  the  rest. 

Then  he  came  down  and  stepped  to  her 
boldly,  and  looked  steadfastly  on  his  mir- 
ror, and  struck  with  Herpe  stoutly  once  ; 
and  he  did  not  need  to  strike  again. 

Then  he  wrapped  the  head  in  the  goat- 
skin, turning  away  his  eyes,  and  sprang 
into  the  air  aloft,  faster  than  he  ever 
sprang  before. 

For  Medusa's  wings  and  talons  rattled 
as  she  sank  dead  upon  the  rocks  ;  and 
her  two  foul  sisters  woke,  and  saw  her 
lying  dead. 

Into    the    air   they    sprang    yelling,    and 


PERSEUS.  69 

looked  for  him  who  had  done  the  deed. 
Thrice  they  swung  round  and  round,  like 
hawks  who  beat  for  a  partridge  ;  and  thrice 
they  snuffed  round  and  round,  like  hounds 
who  draw  upon  a  deer.  At  last  they 
struck  upon  the  scent  of  the  blood,  and 
they  checked  for  a  moment  to  make  sure ; 
and  then  on  they  rushed  with  a  fearful 
howl,  while  the  wind  rattled  hoarse  in 
their  wings. 

On  they  rushed,  sweeping  and  flapping, 
like  eagles  after  a  hare  ;  and  Perseus's 
blood  ran  cold,  for  all  his  courage,  as  he 
saw  them  come  howling  on  his  track  ;  and 
he  cried  :  "  Bear  me  well,  now,  brave  san- 
dals, for  the  hounds  of  death  are  at  my 
heels  !  " 

And  well  the  brave  sandals  bore  him, 
aloft  through  cloud  and  sunshine,  across 
the  shoreless  sea  ;  and  fast  followed  the 
hounds  of  Death,  as  the  roar  of  their  wings 
came  down  the  wind.  But  the  roar  came 
down  fainter  and  fainter,  and  the  howl  of 


70  PERSEUS. 

their  voices  died  away  ;  for  the  sandals 
were  too  swift,  even  for  Gorgons,  and  by 
nightfall  they  were  far  behind,  two  black 
specks  in  the  southern  sky,  till  the  sun 
sank  and  he  saw  them  no  more. 

Then  he  came  again  to  Atlas,  and  the 
garden  of  the  Nymphs  ;  and  when  the 
giant  heard  him  coming,  he  groaned,  and 
said  :  "  Fulfil  thy  promise  to  me."  Then 
Perseus  held  up  to  him  the  Gorgon's  head, 
and  he  had  rest  from  all  his  toil  ;  for  .he 
became  a  crag  of  stone,  which  sleeps  for- 
ever far  above  the  clouds. 

Then  he  thanked  the  Nymphs,  and 
asked  them  :  "  By  what  road  shall  I  go 
homeward  again,  for  I  wandered  far  round 
in  coming  hither  !  " 

And  they  wept  and  cried  :  "  Go  home 
no  more,  but  stay  and  play  with  us,  the 
lonely  maidens,  who  dwell  forever  far  away 
from  gods  and  men." 

But  he  refused,  and  they  told  him  his 
road  and  said  :  "  Take  with  you  this  magic 


PERSEUS.  71 

fruit,  which,  if  you  eat  once,  you  will  not 
hunger  for  seven  days.  For  you  must  go 
eastward  and  eastward  ever,  over  the  dole- 
ful Lybian  shore,  which  Poseidon  gave  to 
Father  Zeus,  when  he  burst  open  the  Bos- 
phorus  and  the  Hellespont,  and  drowned 
the  fair  Lectonian  land.  And  Zeus  took 
that  land  in  exchange,  a  fair  bargain,  much 
bad  ground  for  a  little  good,  and  to  this 
day  it  lies  waste  and  desert,  with  shingle, 
and  rock,  and  sand." 

Then  they  kissed  Perseus,  and  wept  over 
him,  and  he  leapt  down  the  mountain,  and 
went  on,  lessening  and  lessening  like  a 
sea-gull,  away  and  out  to  sea. 


PART    IV. 

HOW  PERSEUS   CAME   TO   THE   .SJTHIOPS. 

So  Perseus  flitted  onward  to  the  northeast 
over  many  a  league  of  sea,  till  he  came 
to  the  rolling  sand-hills,  and  the  dreary 
Lybian  shore. 

And  he  flitted  on  across  the  desert,  over 
rock-ledges,  and  banks  of  shingle,  and 
level  wastes  of  sand,  and  shell-drifts  bleach- 
ing in  the  sunshine,  and  the  skeletons  of 
great  sea-monsters,  and  dead  bones  of 
ancient  giants,  strewn  up  and  down  upon 
the  old  sea-floor.  And  as  he  went,  the 
blood-drops  fell  to  the  earth  from  the 
Gorgon's  head,  and  became  poisonous  asps 
and  adders,  which  breed  in  the  desert  to 
this  day. 


PERSEUS.  73 

Over  the  sands  he  went,  he  never  knew 
how  far  or  how  long,  feeding  on  the  fruit 
which  the  Nymphs  had  given  him,  till  he 
saw  the  hills  of  the  Psylli,  and  the  Dwarfs 
who  fought  with  cranes.  Their  spears 
were  of  reeds  and  rushes,  and  their  houses 
of  the  egg-shells  of  the  cranes  ;  and  Per- 
seus laughed,  and  went  his  way  to  the 
northeast,  hoping  all  day  long  to  see  the 
blue  Mediterranean  sparkling,  that  he 
might  fly  across  it  to  his  home. 

But  now  came  down  a  mighty  wind, 
and  swept  him  back  southward  toward  the 
desert.  All  day  long  he  strove  against  it ; 
but  even  the  winged  sandals  could  not 
prevail.  So  he  was  forced  to  float  down 
the  wind  all  night  ;  and  when  the  morn- 
ing dawned  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen, 
save  the  same  old  hateful  waste  of  sand. 

And    out    of  the    north    the  sand-storins 

rushed    upon    him,    blood-red     pillars    and 

wreaths,    blotting    out    the    noonday    sun  ; 

and    Perseus     fled     before    them,    lest    he 

4 


74  PERSEUS. 

should  be  choked  by  the  burning  dust 
At  last  the  gale  fell  calm,  and  he  tried  to 
go  northward  again  ;  but  again  came  down 
the  sand-storms,  and  swept  him  back  into 
the  waste,  and  then  all  was  calm  and 
cloudless  as  before.  Seven  days  he  strove 
against  the  storms,  and  seven  days  he  was 
driven  back,  till  he  was  spent  with  thirst 
and  hunger,  and  his  tongue  clove  to  the 
roof  of  his  mouth.  Here  and  there  he 
fancied  that  he  saw  a  fair  lake,  and  the 
sunbeams  shining  on  the  water  ;  but  when 
he  came  to  it  it  vanished  at  his  feet,  and 
there  was  nought  but  burning  sand.  And 
if  he  had  not  been  of  the  race  of  the 
Immortals,  he  would  have  perished  in  the 
waste  ;  but  his  life  was  strong  within  him, 
because  it  was  more  than  man's. 

Then  he  cried  to  Athene,  and  said, — 

"  Oh,  fair  and  pure,  if  thou  hearest   me, 

wilt  thou  leave  me  here  to  die  of  drought  ? 

I  have  brought  thee  the  Gorgon's  head  at  thy 

bidding,  and  hitherto  thou  hast   prospered 


PERSEUS.  75 

ray  journey;  dost  thou  desert  me  at  the 
last?  Else  why  will  not  these  immortal 
sandals  prevail,  even  against  the  desert 
storms  ?  Shall  I  never  see  my  mother  more, 
and  the  blue  ripple  round  Seriphos,  and  the 
sunny  hills  of  Hellas?" 

So  he  prayed  ;  and  after  he  had  prayed 
there  was  a  great  silence. 

The  heaven  was  still  above  his  head,  and 
the  sand  was  still  beneath  his  feet ;  and 
Perseus  looked  up,  but  there  was  nothing 
but  the  blinding  sun  in  the  blinding  blue  ; 
and  round  him,  but  there  was  nothing  but 
the  blinding  sand. 

And  Perseus  stood  still  awhile,  and 
waited,  and  said  — "  Surely  I  am  not  here 
without  the  will  of  the  Immortals,  for 
Athene  will  not  lie.  Were  not  these  san- 
dals to  lead  me  in  the  right  road  ?  Then 
the  road  in  which  I  have  tried  to  go  must 
be  a  wrong  road." 

Then  suddenly  his  ears  were  opened, 
and  he  heard  the  sound  of  running  water. 


76  PERSEUS. 

And  at  that  his  heart  was  lifted  up, 
though  he  scarcely  dare  believe  his  ears; 
and  weary  as  he  was,  he  hurried  forward, 
though  he  could  scarcely  stand  upright ;  and 
within  a  bowshot  of  him  was  a  glen  in  the 
sand,  and  marble  rocks,  and  date-trees,  and 
a  lawn  of  gay  green  grass.  And  through 
the  lawn  a  streamlet  sparkled  and  wandered 
out  beyond  the  trees,  and  vanished  in  the 
sand. 

The  water  trickled  among  the  rocks,  and 
a  pleasant  breeze  rustled  in  the  dry  date- 
branches  ;  and  Perseus  laughed  for  joy, 
and  leapt  down  the  cliff,  and  drank  of  the 
cool  water,  and  ate  of  the  dates,  and  slept 
upon  the  turf,  and  leapt  up  and  went 
forward  again :  but  not  toward  the  north 
this  time ;  for  he  said  —  "  Surely  Athene  has 
sent  me  hither,  and  will  not  have  me  go 
homeward  yet.  What,  if  there  be  another 
noble  deed  to  be  done,  before  I  see  the 
sunny  hills  of  Hellas?" 

So   he  went   east,  and   east   forever,    by 


PERSEUS.  77 

fresh  oases  and  fountains,  date-palms,  and 
lawns  of  grass,  till  he  saw  before  him  a 
mighty  mountain-wall,  all  rose-red  in  the 
setting  sun. 

Then  he  towered  in  the  air  like  an 
eagle,  for  his  limbs  were  strong  again ;  and 
he  flew  all  night  across  the  mountain  till 
the  day  began  to  dawn,  and  rosy-fingered 
Eos  came  blushing  up  the  sky.  And  then, 
behold,  beneath  him  was  the  long  green 
garden  of  Egypt,  and  the  shining  stream 
of  Nile. 

And  he  saw  cities  walled  up  to  heaven, 
and  temples,  and  obelisks,  and  pyramids, 
and  giant  Gods  of  stone.  And  he  came 
down  amid  fields  of  barley,  and  flax,  and 
millet,  and  clambering  gourds ;  and  saw  the 
people  coming  out  of  the  gates  of  a  great 
city,  and  setting  to  work,  each  in  his 
place,  among  the  watercourses,  parting  the 
streams  among  the  plants  cunningly  with 
their  feet,  according  to  the  wisdom  of  the 
Egyptians.  But  when  they  saw  him  they 


78  PERSEUS. 

all  stopped  their  work,  and  gathered  round 
him,  and  cried, — 

"  Who  art  thou,  fair  youth  ?  and  what 
bearest  thou  beneath  thy  goat-skin  there  ? 
Surely  thou  art  one  of  the  Immortals;  for 
thy  skin  is  white  like  ivory,  and  ours  is 
red  like  clay.  Thy  hair  is  like  threads  of 
gold,  and  ours  is  black  and  curled.  Surely 
thou  art  one  of  the  Immortals ; " — and  they 
would  have  worshipped  him  then  and  there : 
but  Perseus  said, — 

"  I  am  not  one  of  the  Immortals ;  but  I 
am  a  hero  of  the  Hellens.  And  I  have 
slain  the  Gorgon  in  the  wilderness,  and 
bear  her  head  with  me.  Give  me  food, 
therefore,  that  I  may  go  forward  and  finish 
my  work." 

Then  they  gave  him  food,  and  fruit,  and 
wine ;  but  they  would  not  let  him  go. 
And  when  the  news  came  into  the  city 
that  the  Gorgon  was  slain,  the  priests  came 
out  to  meet  him,  and  the  maidens,  with 
songs  and  dances,  and  timbrels  and  harps  ; 


PERSEUS.  79 

and  they  would  have  brought  him  to  their 
temple  and  to  their  king  ;  but  Perseus  put 
on  the  hat  of  darkness,  and  vanished  away 
out  of  their  sight. 

Therefore  the  Egyptians  looked  long  for 
his  return,  but  in  vain,  and  worshipped 
him  as  a  hero,  and  made  a  statue  of  him 
in  Chemmis,  which  stood  for  many  a  hun- 
dred years ;  and  they  said  that  he  appeared 
to  them  at  times,  with  sandals  a  cubic 
long ;  and  that  whenever  he  appeared  the 
season  was  fruitful,  and  the  Nile  rose  high 
that  year. 

Then  Perseus  went  to  the  eastward,  along 
the  Red  Sea  shore  ;  and  then,  because  he 
was  afraid  to  go  into  the  Arabian  deserts, 
he  turned  northward  once  more,  and  this 
time  no  storm  hindered  him. 

He  went  past  the  Isthmus,  and  Mount 
Casius,  and  the  vast  Serbonian  bog,  and 
up  the  shore  of  Palestine,  where  the  dark- 
faced  ^Ethiops  dwelt. 

He  flew  on  past   pleasant   hills  and  val- 


80  PERSEUS. 

leys,  like  Argos  itself,  or  Lacedsemon,  or 
the  fair  Vale  of  Tempe.  But  the  lowlands 
were  all  drowned  by  floods,  and  the  high- 
lands blasted  by  fire,  and  the  hills  heaved 
like  a  bubbling  cauldron,  before  the  wrath 
of  King  Poseidon,  the  shaker  of  the  earth. 

And  Perseus  feared  to  go  inland,  but 
flew  along  the  shore  above  the  sea ;  and  he 
went  on  all  the  day,  and  the  sky  was  black 
with  smoke ;  and  he  went  on  all  the  night, 
and  the  sky  was  red  with  flame. 

And  at  the  dawn  of  day  he  looked  to- 
ward the  cliffs;  and  at  the  water's  edge, 
under  a  black  rock,  he  saw  a  white  image 
stand. 

"  This,"  thought  he,  "  must  surely  be  the 
statue  of  some  sea-God ;  I  will  go  near 
and  see  what  kind  of  Gods  these  barbarians 
worship." 

So  he  came  near;  but  when  he  came,  it 
was  no  statue,  but  a  maiden  of  flesh  and 
blood ;  for  he  could  see  her  tresses  stream- 
ing in  the  breeze ;  and  as  he  came  closer 


PERSEUS.  81 

still,  he  could  see  how  she  shrank  and 
shivered,  when  the  waves  sprinkled  her 
with  cold  salt  spray.  Her  arms  were  spread 
above  her  head,  and  fastened  to  the  rock 
with  chains  of  brass ;  and  her  head  drooped 
on  her  bosom,  either  with  sleep,  or  weari- 
ness, or  grief.  But  now  and  then  she 
looked  up  and  wailed,  and  called  her 
mother ;  yet  she  did  not  see  Perseus,  for 
the  cap  of  darkness  was  on  his  head. 

Full  of  pity  and  indignation  Perseus 
drew  near  and  looked  upon  the  maid.  Her 
cheeks  were  darker  than  his  were,  and  her 
hair  was  blue-black  like  a  hyacinth ;  but 
Perseus  thought  —  "I  have  never  seen  so 
beautiful  a  maiden ;  no,  not  in  all  our  Isles- 
Surely,  she  is  a  king's  daughter.  Do  bar- 
barians treat  their  kings'  daughters  thus? 
She  is  too  fair,  at  least,  to  have  done  any 
wrong.  I  will  speak  to  her." 

And  lifting  the  hat  from  his  head,  he 
flashed  into  her  sight.  She  shrieked  with 
terror,  and  tried  to  hide  her  face  with  her 


82  PERSEUS. 

hair,  for  she  could  not  with  her  hands ; 
but  Perseus  cried, — 

"  Do  not  fear  me,  fair  one ;  I  am  a 
Hellen,  and  no  barbarian.  What  cruel  men 
have  bound  you  ?  But  first  I  will  set  you 
free." 

And  he  tore  at  the  fetters ;  but  they 
were  too  strong  for  him ;  while  the  maiden 
cried,  — 

u  Touch  me  not ;  I  am  accursed,  devoted 
as  a  victim  to  the  sea-Gods.  They  will 
slay  you,  if  you  dare  to  set  me  free." 

"  Let  them  try,"  said  Perseus  ;  and  draw- 
ing Herpe  from  his  thigh,  he  cut  through 
the  brass  as  if  it  had  been  flax. 

"  Now,"  he  said,  "  you  belong  to  me,  and 
not  to  these  sea-Gods,  whosoever  they  may 
be  !  "  But  she  only  called  the  more  on  her 
mother. 

"  Why  call  on  your  mother  ?  She  can 
be  no  mother  to  have  left  you  here.  If  a 
bird  is  dropped  out  of  the  nest,  it  belongs 
to  the  man  who  picks  it  up.  If  a  jewel 


PERSEUS.  83 

is  cast  by  the  wayside,  it  is  his  who  dare 
win  it  and  wear  it,  as  I  will  win  you  and 
will  wear  you.  I  know  now  why  Pallas 
Athene  sent  me  hither.  She  sent  me  to 
gain  a  prize  worth  all  my  toil,  and  more." 

And  he  clasped  her  in  his  arms,  and 
cried  —  "Where  are  these  sea-Gods,  cruel 
and  unjust,  who  doom  fair  maids  to  death  ? 
T  carry  the  weapons  of  Immortals.  Let 
them  measure  their  strength  against  mine ! 
But  tell  me,  maiden,  who  you  are,  and  what 
dark  fate  brought  you  here." 

And  she  answered,  weeping  — 
.  "I  am  the  daughter  of  Cepheus,  King 
of  lopa,  and  my  mother  is  Cassiopoaia  of 
the  beautiful  tresses,  and  they  called  me 
Andromeda,  as  long  as  life  was  mine.  And 
I  stand  bound  here,  hapless  that  I  am,  for 
the  sea-monster's  food,  to  atone  for  my 
mother's  sin.  For  she  boasted  of  me  once 
that  I  was  fairer  than  Atergatis,  Queen  of 
the  Fishes  ;  so  she  in  her  wrath  sent  the 
sea-floods,  and  her  brother  the  Fire  King 


84  PERSEUS. 

sent  the  earthquakes,  and  wasted  all  the 
land;  and  after  the  floods  a  monster  bred 
of  the  slime,  who  devours  all  living  things. 
And  now  he  must  devour  me,  guiltless 
though  I  am  —  me  who  never  harmed  a 
living  thing,  nor  saw  a  fish  upon  the  shore 
but  I  gave  it  life,  and  threw  it  back  into 
the  sea;  for  in  our  land  we  eat  no  fish, 
for  fear  of  Atergatis  their  Queen.  Yet  the 
priests  say  that  nothing  but  my  blood  can 
atone  for  a  sin  which  I  never  committed." 

But  Perseus  laughed,  and  said  —  "A 
sea-monster?  I  have  fought  with  worse 
than  him;  I  would  have  faced  Immortals 
for  your  sake ;  how  much  more  a  beast  of 
the  sea?" 

Then  Andromeda  looked  up  at  him,  and 
new  hope  was  kindled  in  her  breast,  so 
proud  and  fair  did  he  stand,  with  one  hand 
round  her,  and  in  the  other  the  glittering 
sword.  But  she  only  sighed,  and  wept  the 
more,  and  cried, — 

"  Why  will  you  die,  young  as   you  are  2 


PERSEUS.  85 

Is  there  not  death  and  sorrow  enough  in 
the  world  already  ?  It  is  noble  for  ine  to 
die,  that  I  may  save  the  lives  of  a  whole 
people ;  but  you,  better  than  them  all,  why 
should  I  slay  you  too  ?  Go  you  your  way  ; 
I  must  go  mine." 

But  Perseus  cried  — "  Not  so  ;  for  the 
Lords  of  Olympus,  whom  I  serve,  are  the 
friends  of  the  heroes,  and  help  them  on  to 
noble  deeds.  Led  by  them,  I  slew  the 
Gorgon,  the  beautiful  horror ;  and  not  with- 
out them  do  I  come  hither,  to  slay  this 
monster  with  that  same  Gorgon's  head. 
Yet  hide  your  eyes  when  I  leave  you,  lest 
the  sight  of  it  freeze  you  too  to  stone." 

But  the  maiden  answered  nothing,  for 
she  could  not  believe  his  words.  And 
then,  suddenly  looking  up,  she  pointed  to 
the  sea,  and  shrieked, — 

"There  he  comes,  with  the  sunrise,  as 
they  promised.  I  must  die  now.  How 
shall  I  endure  it  ?  Oh,  go !  Is  it  not 
dreadful  enough  to  be  torn  piecemeal  with- 


86  PERSEUS. 

out  having  you  to  look  on?"  And  she 
tried  to  thrust  him  away. 

But  he  said — "I  go;  yet  promise  me 
one  thing  ere  I  go;  that  if  I  slay  this 
beast  you  will  be  my  wife,  and  come  back 
with  me  to  my  kingdom  in  fruitful  Argos, 
for  I  am  a  king's  heir.  Promise  me,  and 
seal  it  with  a  kiss." 

Then  she  lifted  up  her  face,  and  kissed 
him ;  and  Perseus  laughed  for  joy,  and 
flew  upward,  while  Andromeda  crouched 
trembling  on  the  rock,  waiting  for  what 
might  befall. 

On  came  the  great  sea-monster,  coasting 
along  like  a  huge  black  galley,  lazily 
breasting  the  ripple,  and  stopping  at  times 
by  creek  or  headland,  to  watch  for  the 
laughter  of  girls  at  their  bleaching,  or 
cattle  pawing  on  the  sand-hills,  or  boys 
bathing  on  the  beach.  His  great  sides 
were  fringed  with  clustering  shells  and 
sea-weeds,  and  the  water  gurgled  in  and 
out  of  his  wide  jaws,  as  he  rolled  along, 


PERSEUS.  87 

dripping  and  glistening,  in  the  beams  of 
the  morning  sun. 

At  last  he  saw  Andromeda,  and  shot 
forward  to  take  his  prey,  while  the  waves 
foamed  white  behind  him,  and  before  him 
the  fish  fled  leaping. 

Then  down  from  the  height  of  the  air 
fell  Perseus,  like  a  shooting  star;  down 
to  the  crests  of  the  waves,  while  Androm- 
eda hid  her  face  as  he  shouted;  and  then 
there  was  silence  for  a  while. 

At  last  she  looked  up  trembling,  and 
saw  Perseus  springing  toward  her;  and 
instead  of  the  monster  a  long  black  rock, 
with  the  sea  rippling  quietly  round  it, 

Who  then  so  proud  as  Perseus,  as  he 
leapt  back  to  the  rock,  and  lifted  his  fair 
Andromeda  in  his  arms,  and  flew  with  her 
to  the  cliff-top,  as  a  falcon  carries  a  dove? 

Who  so  proud  as  Perseus,  and  who  so 
joyful  as  all  the  ^Ethiop  people?  For 
they  had  stood  watching  the  monster  from 
the  cliffs,  wailing  for  the  maiden's  fate. 


88  PERSEUS. 

And  already  a  messenger  had  gone  to 
Cepheus  and  Cassiopoeia,  where  they  sat 
in  sackcloth  and  ashes  on  the  ground,  in 
the  innermost  palace  chambers,  awaiting 
their  daughter's  end.  And  they  came,  and 
all  the  city  with  them,  to  see  the  wonder, 
with  songs  and  with  dances,  with  cymbals 
and  harps,  and  received  their  daughter 
back  again,  as  one  alive  from  the  dead. 

Then  Cepheus  said  — "  Hero  of  the 
Hellens,  stay  here  with  me  and  be  my 
son-in-law,  and  I  will  give  you  the  half 
of  my  kingdom." 

"I  will  be  your  son-in-law,"  said  Per- 
seus, "  but  of  your  kingdom  I  will  have 
none ;  for  I  long  after  the  pleasant  land 
of  Greece,  and  my  mother  who  waits  for 
me  at  home." 

Then  Cepheus  said  — "  You  must  not 
take  my  daughter  away  at  once,  for  she 
is  to  us  like  one  alive  from  the  dead. 
Stay  with  us  here  a  year,  and  after  that 
you  shall  return  with  honour."  And  Per- 


PERSEUS.  89 

Consented ;  but  before  he  went  to  the 
palace,  he  bade  the  people  bring  stones 
and  wood,  and  built  three  altars,  one  to 
Athene,  and  one  to  Hermes,  and  one  to 
Father  Zeus,  and  offered  bullocks  and 
rams. 

And  some  said  — "  This  is  a  pious 
man  : "  yet  the  priests  said  — "  The  Sea 
Queen  will  be  yet  more  fierce  against  us, 
because  her  monster  is  slain."  But  they 
were  afraid  to  speak  aloud,  for  they  feared 
the  Gorgon's  head.  So  they  went  up  to 
the  palace  :  and  when  they  came  in,  there 
stood  in  the  hall  Phineus,  the  brother  of 
Cepheus,  chafing  like  a  bear  robbed  of  her 
whelps,  and  with  him  his  sons,  and  his 
servants,  and  many  an  armed  man ;  and 
he  cried  to  Cepheus, — 

"You  shall  not  marry  your  daughter  to 
this  stranger,  of  whom  no  one  knows  even 
the  name.  Was  not  Andromeda  betrothed 
to  my  son  ?  And  now  she  is  safe  again, 
has  he  not  a  right  to  claim  her?" 


90  PERSEUS. 

But  Perseus  laughed  and  answered  — 
"If  your  son  is  in  want  of  a  bride,  let 
him  save  a  maiden  for  himself.  As  yet 
he  seems  but  a  helpless  bridegroom.  He 
left  this  one  to  die,  and  dead  she  is  to 
him.  I  saved  her  alive,  and  alive  she  is 
to  me,  but  to  no  one  else.  Ungrateful 
man !  have  I  not  saved  your  land,  and 
the  lives  of  your  sons  and  daughters,  and 
will  you  requite  me  thus?  Go,  or  it  will 
be  worse  for  you."  But  all  the  men-at- 
arms  drew  their  swords,  and  rushed  on 
him  like  wild  beasts. 

Then  he  unveiled  the  Gorgon's  head, 
and  said  —  "This  has  delivered  my  bride 
from  one  wild  beast;  it  shall  deliver  her 
from  many."  And  as  he  spoke,  Phineus 
and  all  his  men-at-arms  stopped  short,  and 
stiffened  each  man  as  he  stood ;  and  before 
Perseus  had  drawn  the  goat-skin  over  the 
face  again,  they  were  all  turned  into 
stone. 

Then    Perseus    bade    the    people    bring 


PERSEUS.  91 

levers  and  roll  them  out;  and  what  was 
done  with  them  after  that,  I  cannot  tell. 

So  they  made  a  great  wedding-feast, 
which  lasted  seven  whole  days,  and  who 
so  happy  as  Perseus  and  Andromeda? 

But  on  the  eighth  night,  Perseus 
dreamed  a  dream ;  and  he  saw  standing 
beside  him  Pallas  Athene,  as  he  had  seen 
her  in  Seriphos,  seven  long  years  before ; 
and  she  stood  and  called  him  by  name, 
and  said, — 

"Perseus,  you  have  played  the  man, 
and  see,  you  have  your  reward.  Know 
now  that  the  Gods  are  just,  and  help  him 
who  helps  himself.  Now  give  me  here 
Herpe  the  sword,  and  the  sandals,  and  the 
hat  of  darkness,  that  I  may  give  them 
back  to  their  owners;  but  the  Gorgon's 
head  you  shall  keep  awhile,  for  you  will 
need  it  in  your  land  of  Greece.  Then 
you  shall  lay  it  up  in  my  temple  at 
Seriphos,  that  I  may  wear  it  on  my  shield 
forever,  a  terror  to  the  Titans  and  the 


92  PERSEUS. 

monsters,  and  the  foes  of  Gods  and  men. 
And  as  for  this  land,  I  have  appeased  the 
sea  and  the  fire,  and  there  shall  be  no 
more  floods  nor  earthquakes.  But  let  the 
people  build  altars  to  Father  Zeus  and  to 
me,  and  worship  the  Immortals,  the  Lords 
of  heaven  and  earth." 

And  Perseus  rose  to  give  her  the  sword, 
and  the  cap,  and  the  sandals :  but  he  woke, 
and  his  dream  vanished  away.  And  yet  it 
was  not  altogether  a  dream ;  for  the  goat- 
skin with  the  head  was  in  its  place  :  but 
the  sword,  and  the  cap,  and  the  sandals 
were  gone,  and  Perseus  never  saw  them 
more. 

Then  a  great  awe  fell  on  Perseus ;  and 
he  went  out  in  the  morning  to  the  people, 
and  told  his  dream,  and  bade  them  build 
altars  to  Zeus  the  Father  of  Gods  and  men, 
and  to  Athene  who  gives  wisdom  to  heroes; 
and  fear  no  more  the  earthquakes  and  the 
floods,  but  sow  and  build  in  peace.  And 
they  did  so  for  a  while,  and  prospered : 


PERSEUS.  93 

but  after  Perseus  was  gone,  they  forgot 
Zeus  and  Athene*,  and  worshipped  again 
Atergatis  the  queen,  and  the  undying  fish 
of  the  sacred  lake,  where  Deucalion's  deluge 
was  swallowed  up,  and  they  burnt  their 
children  before  the  Fire  King,  till  Zeus  was 
angry  with  that  foolish  people,  and  brought 
a  strange  nation  against  them  out  of  Egypt, 
who  fought  against  them  and  wasted  them 
utterly,  and  dwelt  in  their  cities  for  many 
a  hundred  years. 


PART   V. 

HOW   PERSEUS    CAME    HOME    AGAIN. 

AND  when  a  year  was  ended,  Perseus 
hired  Phoenicians  from  Tyre,  and  cut  down 
cedars,  and  built  himself  a  noble  galley ; 
and  painted  its  cheeks  with  vermilion,  and 
pitched  its  sides  with  pitch;  and  in  it  he 
put  Andromeda,  and  all  her  dowry  of  jewels, 
and  rich  shawls,  and  spices  from  the  East ; 
and  great  was  the  weeping  when  they 
rowed  away.  But  the  remembrance  of  his 
brave  deed  was  left  behind ;  and  Androm- 
eda's rock  was  shown  at  Jopa  in  Palestine, 
till  more  than  a  thousand  years  were  past. 

So  Perseus  and  the  Phoenicians  rowed  to 
the  westward,  across  the  sea  of  Crete,  till 
they  came  to  the  blue  ^Egean  and  the 


PERSEUS.  95 

pleasant  Isles  of  Hellas,  and  Seriphos,  his 
ancient  home. 

Then  he  left  his  galley  on  the  beach, 
and  went  up  as  of  old ;  and  he  embraced 
his  mother,  and  Dietys  his  good  foster- 
father,  and  they  wept  over  each  other  a 
long  while,  for  it  was  seven  years  and 
more  since  they  had  met. 

Then  Perseus  went  out,  and  up  to  the 
hall  of  Polydectes ;  and  underneath  the 
goat-skin  he  bore  the  Gorgon's  head. 

And  when  he  came  into  the  hall,  Poly- 
dectes sat  at  the  table-head,  and  all  his 
nobles  and  landowners  on  either  side,  each 
according  to  his  rank,  feasting  on  the  fish 
and  the  goafs-flesh,  and  drinking  the 
blood-red  wine.  The  harpers  harped,  and 
the  revellers  shouted,  and  the  wine-cups 
rang  merrily  as  they  passed  from  hand  to 
hand,  and  great  was  the  noise  in  the  hall 
of  Polydectes. 

Then  Perseus  stood  upon  the  threshold, 
and  called  to  the  king  by  name.  But  none 


96  PERSEUS. 

of  the  guests  knew  Perseus,  for  he  was 
changed  by  his  long  journey.  He  had 
gone  out  a  boy,  and  he  was  come  home  a 
hero ;  his  eye  shone  like  an  eagle's,  and 
his  beard  was  like  a  lion's  beard,  and  he 
stood  up  like  a  wild  bull  in  his  pride. 

But  Polydectes  the  wicked  knew  him, 
and  hardened  his  heart  still  more ;  and 
scornfully  he  called, — 

66  Ah,  foundling !  Have  you  found  it 
more  easy  to  promise  than  to  fulfil  ?  " 

"Those  whom  the  Gods  help  fulfil  their 
promises ;  and  those  who  despise  them, 
reap  as  they  have  sown.  Behold  the  Gor- 
gon's head ! " 

Then  Perseus  drew  back  the  goat-skin, 
and  held  aloft  the  Gorgon's  head. 

Pale  grew  Polydectes  and  his  guests,  as 
they  looked  upon  that  dreadful  face.  They 
tried  to  rise  up  from  their  seats :  but  from 
their  seats  they  never  rose,  but  stiffened, 
each  man  where  he  sat,  into  a  ring  of 
cold  gray  stones. 


PERSEUS.  97 

Then  Perseus  turned  and  left  them,  and 
went  down  to  his  galley  in  the  bay ;  and 
he  gave  the  kingdom  to  good  Dictys,  and 
sailed  away  with  his  mother  and  his  bride. 

And  Polydectes  and  his  guests  sat  still, 
with  the  wine-cups  before  them  on  the 
board ;  till  the  rafters  crumbled  down  above 
their  heads,  and  the  walls  behind  their 
backs,  and  the  table  crumbled  down  be- 
tween them,  and  the  grass  sprung  up  about 
their  feet :  but  Polydectes  and  his  guests 
sit  on  the  hill-side,  a  ring  of  gray  stones 
until  this  day. 

But  Perseus  rowed  westward  toward  Ar- 
gos,  and  landed,  and  went  up  to  the  town. 
And  when  he  came,  he  found  that  Acrisius 
his  grandfather  had  fled.  For  Proetus  his 
wicked  brother  had  made  war  against  him 
afresh;  and  had  come  across  the  river  from 
Tiryns,  and  conquered  Argos,  and  Acrisius 
had  fled  to  Larissa,  in  the  country  of  the 
wild  Pelasgi. 

Then  Perseus  called  the  Argives  together, 
5 


98  PERSEUS. 

and  told  them  who  lie  was,  and  all  the 
noble  deeds  which  he  had  done.  And  all 
the  nobles  and  the  yeomen  made  him  king, 
for  they  saw  that  he  had  a  royal  heart ; 
and  they  fought  with  him  against  Argos, 
and  took  it,  and  killed  Proetus.  and  made 
the  Cyclopes  serve  them,  and  build  them 
walls  round  Argos,  like  the  walls  which 
they  had  built  at  Tiryns  :  and  there  were 
great  rejoicings  in  the  vale  of  Argos,  be- 
cause they  had  got  a  king  from  Father 
Zeus. 

But  Perseus's  heart  yearned  after  his 
grandfather,  and  he  said,  "  Surely  he  is  my 
flesh  and  blood ;  and  he  will  love  me  now 
that  I  am  come  home  with  honour:  I  will 
go  and  find  him,  and  bring  him  home,  and 
we  will  reign  together  in  peace." 

So  Perseus  sailed  away  with  his  Phoeni- 
cians, round  Hydrea  and  Sunium,  past 
Marathon  and  the  Attic  shore,  and  through 
Euripus,  and  up  the  long  Eubcean  sea,  till 
he  came  to  the  town  of  Larissa,  where  the 
wild  Pelasgi  dwelt. 


PERSEUS.  99 

And  when  he  came  there,  all  the  people 
were  in  the  fields,  and  there  was  feasting, 
and  all  kinds  of  games ;  for  Teutamenes 
their  king  wished  to  honour  Acrisius,  be- 
cause he  was  the  king  of  a  mighty  land. 

So  Perseus  did  not  tell  his  name,  but 
went  up  the  games  unknown ;  for  he  said, 
"If  I  carry  away  the  prize  in  the  games, 
my  grandfather's  heart  will  be  softened 
toward  me." 

So  he  threw  off  his  helmet,  and  his 
cuirass,  and  all  his  clothes,  and  stood 
among  the  youths  of  Larissa,  while  all 
wondered  at  him,  and  said,  "  Who  is  this 
young  stranger,  who  stands  like  a  wild  bull 
in  his  pride  ?  Surely  he  is  one  of  the 
heroes,  the  sons  of  the  Immortals,  from 
Olympus." 

And  when  the  games  began,  they  won- 
dered yet  more  ;  for  Perseus  was  the  best 
man  of  all,  at  running,  and  leaping,  and 
wrestling,  and  throwing  the  javelin  ;  and 
he  won  four  crowns,  and  took  them,  and 


100  PERSEUS. 

then  he  said  to  himself,  "  There  is  a  fifth 
crown  yet  to  be  won;  I  will  win  that, 
and  lay  them  all  upon  the  knees  of  my 
grandfather." 

And  as  he  spoke,  he  saw  where  Acrisius 
sat,  by  the  side  of  Teutamenes  the  king, 
with  his  white  brard  flowing  down  upon 
his  knees,  and  his  royal  staff  in  his  hand  ; 
and  Perseus  wept  when  he  looked  at  him, 
for  his  heart  yearned  after  his  kin;  and 
he  said,  "  Surely  he  is  a  kingly  old  man, 
yet  he  need  not  be  ashamed  of  his  grand- 


son." 


Then  he  took  the  quoits,  and  hurled 
them,  five  fathoms  beyond  all  the  rest; 
and  the  people  shouted,  "  Further  yet, 
brave  stranger !  There  has  never  been 
such  a  hurler  in  this  land." 

Then  Perseus  put  out  all  his  strength, 
and  hurled.  But  a  gust  of  wind  came 
from  the  sea,  and  carried  the  quoit  aside, 
and  far  beyond  all  the  rest;  and  it  fell  on 
the  foot  of  Acrisius,  and  he  swooned  away 
with  the  pain, 


PERSEUS.  101 

Perseus  shrieked,  and  ran  up  to  him; 
but  when  they  lifted  the  old  man  up,  he 
was  dead ;  for  his  life  was  slow  and  feeble. 

Then  Perseus  rent  his  clothes,  and  cast 
dust  upon  his  head,  and  wept  a  long  while 
for  his  grandfather.  At  last  he  rose,  and 
called  to  all  the  people  aloud,  and  said, — 

"  The  Gods  are  true,  and  what  they  have 
ordained  must  be.  I  am  Perseus,  the 
grandson  of  this  dead  man,  the  far-famed 
slayer  of  the  Gorgon." 

Then  he  told  them  how  the  prophecy 
had  declared  that  he  should  kill  his  grand- 
father, and  all  the  story  of  his  life. 

So  they  made  a  great  mourning  for 
Acrisius,  and  burnt  him  on  a  right  rich 
pile  ;  and  Perseus  went  to  the  temple,  and 
was  purified  from  the  guilt  of  the  death, 
because  he  had  done  it  unknowingly. 

Then  he  went  home  to  Argos,  and 
reigned  there  well  with  fair  Andromeda; 
and  they  had  four  sons  and  three  daughters, 
and  died  in  a  good  old  age. 


102  PERSEUS. 

And  when  they  died,  the  ancients  say, 
Athene  took  them  up  into  the  sky,  with 
Cepheus  and  Cassiopoeia.  And  there  on 
starlight  nights  you  may  see  them  shining 
still ;  Cepheus  with  his  kingly  crown,  and 
Cassiopoeia  in  her  ivory  chair,  plaiting  her 
star-spangled  tresses,  and  Perseus  with  the 
Gorgon's  head,  and  fair  Andromeda  beside 
him,  spreading  her  long  white  arms  across 
the  heaven,  as  she  stood  when  chained  to 
the  stone  for  the  monster.  All  night  long 
they  shine,  for  a  beacon  to  wandering 
sailors :  but  all  day  they  feast  with  the 
Gods,  on  the  still  blue  peaks  of  Olympus. 


STOEY  IL— THE  ARGONAUTS. 


STORY  IL-THE  ARGONAUTS. 

PART  I. 

HOW  THE  CENTAUR  TRAINED  THE  HEROES  ON 
PELION. 

I  HAVE  told  you  of  a  hero  who  fought 
with  wild  beasts  and  with  wild  men  ;  but 
now  I  have  a  tale  of  heroes  who  sailed 
away  into  a  distant  land  to  win  themselves 
renown  forever,  in  the  adventure  of  the 
Golden  Fleece. 

Whither  they  sailed,  my  children,  I  can- 
not clearly  tell.  It  all  happened  long  ago  ; 
so  long  that  it  has  all  grown  dim,  like  a 
dream  which  you  dreamt  last  year.  And 
why  they  went,  I  cannot  tell  ;  some  say 


108  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

that  it  was  to  win  gold.  It  may  be  so  ; 
but  the  noblest  deeds  which  have  been 
done  on  earth,  have  not  been  done  for 
gold.  It  was  not  for  the  sake  of  gold  that 
the  Lord  came  down  and  died,  and  the 
Apostles  went  out  to  preach  the  good 
news  in  all  lands.  The  Spartans  looked 
for  no  reward  in  money  when  they  fought 
and  died  at  Thermopylae  ;  and  Socrates  the 
wise  asked  no  pay  from  his  countrymen, 
but  lived  poor  and  barefoot  all  his  days, 
only  caring  to  make  men  good.  And  there 
are  heroes  in  our  days  also,  who  do  noble 
deeds,  but  not  for  gold.  Our  discoverers 
did  not  go  to  make  themselves  rich,  when 
they  sailed  out  one  after  another  into  the 
dreary  frozen  seas  ;  nor  did  the  ladies, 
who  went  out  last  year,  to  drudge  in  the 
hospitals  of  the  East,  making  themselves 
poor,  that  they  might  be  rich  in  noble 
works.  And  young  men,  too,  whom  you 
know,  children,  and  some  of  them  of  your 
own  kin,  did  they  say  to  themselves, 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  109 

*  How  much  money  shall  I  earn  ?  "  when 
they  went  out  to  the  war,  leaving  wealth, 
and  comfort,  and  a  pleasant  home,  and  all 
that  money  can  give,  to  face  hunger  and 
thrist,  and  wounds  and  death,  that  they 
might  fight  for  their  country  and  their 
Queen  ?  No,  children,  there  is  a  better 
thing  on  earth  than  wealth,  a  better  thing 
than  life  itself;  and  that  is,  to  have  done 
something  before  you  die,  for  which  good 
men  may  honour  you,  and  God  your  Father 
smile  upon  your  work. 

Therefore  we  will  believe  —  why  should 
we  not  ?  —  of  these  same  Argonauts  of  old, 
that  they  too  were  noble  men,  who  planned 
and  did  a  noble  deed  ;  and  that  therefore 
their  fame  has  lived,  and  been  told  in 
story  and  in  song,  mixed  up,  no  doubt, 
with  dreams  and  fables,  and  yet  true  and 
right  at  heart.  So  we  will  honour  these 
old  Argonauts,  and  listen  to  their  story  as 
it  stands  ;  and  we  will  try  to  be  like 
them,  each  of  us  in  our  place  ;  for  each 


110  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

of  us  has  a  Golden  Fleece  to  seek,  and  a 
wild  sea  to  sail  over,  ere  we  reach  it,  and 
dragons  to  fight  ere  it  be  ours. 

And  what  was  that  first  Golden  Fleece? 
I  do  not  know,  nor  care.  The  old  Hellenes 
said  that  it  hung  in  Colchis,  which  we  call 
the  Circassian  coast,  nailed  to  a  beech-tree 
in  the  war-God's  wood ;  and  that  it  was 
the  fleece  of  the  wondrous  ram,  who  bore 
Phrixus  and  Helle  across  the  Euxine  sea. 
For  Phrixus  and  Helle  were  the  children 
of  the  cloud-nymph,  and  of  Athamas  the 
Minuan  king.  And  when  a  famine  came 
upon  the  land,  their  cruel  step-mother,  Ino, 
wished  to  kill  them,  that  her  own  children 
might  reign,  and  said  that  they  must  be 
sacrificed  on  an  altar,  to  turn  away  the 
anger  of  the  gods.  So  the  poor  children 
were  brought  to  the  altar,  and  the  priest 
stood  ready  with  his  knife,  when  out  of 
the  clouds  came  the  Golden  Ram,  and  took 
them  on  his  back,  and  vanished.  Then 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  Ill 

madness  came  upon  that  foolish  king 
Athamas,  and  ruin  upon  Ino  and  her 
children.  For  Athamas  killed  one  of  them 
in  his  fury,  and  Ino  fled  from  him  with 
the  other  in  her  arms,  and  leaped  from  a 
cliff  into  the  sea,  and  was  changed  into  a 
dolphin,  such  as  you  have  seen,  which 
wanders  over  the  waves  forever  sighing, 
with  its  little  one  clasped  to  its  breast. 

But  the  people  drove  out  King  Athamas, 
because  he  had  killed  his  child ;  and  he 
roamed  about  in  his  misery,  till  be  came 
to  the  Oracle  in  Delphi.  And  the  Oracle 
told  him  that  he  must  wander  for  his  sin, 
till  the  wild  beasts  should  feast  him  as 
their  guest.  So  he  went  on  in  hunger  and 
sorrow  for  many  a  weary  day,  till  he  saw 
a  pack  of  wolves.  The  wolves  were  tear- 
ing a  sheep  ;  but  when  they  saw  Athamas 
they  fled,  and  left  the  sheep  for  him,  and 
he  ate  of  it  ;  and  then  he  knew  that  the 
oracle  was  fulfilled  at  last.  So  he  wan- 
dered no  more  ;  but  settled,  and  built  a 
town,  and  became  a  king  again. 


112  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

But  the  ram  carried  the  two  children 
far  away  over  land  and  sea,  till  he  came 
to  the  Thracian  Chersonese,  and  there  Helle 
fell  into  the  sea.  So  those  narrow  straits 
are  called  "  Hellespont,"  after  her  ;  and 
they  bear  that  name  until  this  day 

Then  the  ram  flew  on  with  Phrixus  to 
the  northeast  across  the  sea  which  we  call 
the  Black  Sea  now  ;  but  the  Hellens  called 
it  Euxine.  And  at  last,  they  say,  he 
stopped  at  Colchis,  on  the  steep  Circassian 
coast  ;  and  there  Phrixus  married  Chalchi- 
ope,  the  daughter  of  Aietes  the  king  ;  and 
offered  the  ram  in  sacrifice  ;  and  Aietes 
nailed  the  ram's  fleece  to  a  beech,  in  the 
grove  of  Ares  the  war-God. 

And  after  awhile  Phrixus  died,  and  was 
buried,  but  his  spirit  had  no  rest;  for  he 
was  buried  far  from  his  native  land,  and 
the  pleasant  hills  of  Hellas.  So  he  came 
in  dreams  to  the  heroes  of  the  Minuai, 
and  called  sadly  by  their  beds,  — "  Come 
and  set  my  spirit  free,  that  I  may  go 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  113 

home  to  my  fathers  and  to  my  kinsfolk, 
and  the  pleasant  Minuan  land." 

And  they  asked  —  "How  shall  we  set 
your  spirit  free?" 

"You  must  sail  over  the  sea  to  Colchis, 
and  bring  home  the  golden  fleece ;  and 
then  my  spirit  will  come  back  with  it, 
and  I  shall  sleep  with  my  fathers  and 
have  rest." 

He  came  thus,  and  called  to  them  often : 
but  when  they  woke  they  looked  at  each 
other,  and  said  —  "Who  dare  sail  to  Col- 
chis, or  bring  home  the  golden  fleece  ? " 
And  in  all  the  country  none  was  brave 
enough  to  try  it;  for  the  man  and  the 
time  were  not  come. 

Phrixus  had  a  cousin  called  JEson,  who 
was  king  in  lolcos  by  the  sea.  There  he 
ruled  over  the  rich  Minuan  heroes,  as 
Athamas  his  uncle  ruled  in  Boeotia;  and 
like  Athamas,  he  was  an  unhappy  man. 
For  he  had  a  step-brother  named  Pelias, 
of  whom  some  said  that  he  was  a  nymph's 


114  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

son,  and  there  were  dark  and  sad  tales 
a.bout  his  birth.  When  he  was  a  babe  he 
was  cast  out  on  the  mountains,  and  a  wild 
mare  came  by  and  kicked  him.  But  a 
shepherd  passing  found  the  baby,  with  its 
face  all  blackened  by  the  blow;  and  took 
him  home,  and  called  him  Pelias,  because 
his  face  was  bruised  and  black.  And  he 
grew  up  fierce  and  lawless,  and  did  many 
a  fearful  deed;  and  at  last  he  drove  out 
Mson  his  step-brother,  and  then  his  own 
brother  Neleus,  and  took  the  kingdom  to 
himself,  and  ruled  over  the  rich  Minuan 
heroes,  in  lolcos  by  the  sea. 

And  ^Eson,  when  he  was  driven  out, 
went  sadly  away  out  of  the  town,  leading 
his  little  son  by  the  hand ;  and  he  said 
to  himself,  "I  must  hide  the  child  in  the 
mountains;  or  Pelias  will  surely  kill  him, 
because  he  is  the  heir." 

So  he  went  up  from  the  sea  across  the 
valley,  through  the  vineyards  and  the  olive 
groves,  and  across  the  torrent  of  Anauros, 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  115 

toward  Pelion  the  ancient  mountain,  whose 
brows  are  white  with  snow. 

He  went  up  and  up  into  the  mountain 
over  marsh,  and  crag,  and  down,  till  the 
boy  was  tired  arid  foot-sore,  and  ^Eson  had 
to  bear  him  in  his  arms,  till  he  came  to 
the  mouth  of  a  lonely  cave,  at  the  foot 
of  a  mighty  cliff. 

Above  the  cliff  the  snow  wreaths  hung, 
dripping  and  cracking  in  the  sun :  but  at 
its  foot  around  the  cave's  mouth  grew  all 
fair  flowers  and  herbs,  as  if  in  a  garden, 
ranged  in  order,  each  sort  by  itself.  There 
they  grew  gayly  in  the  sunshine,  and  the 
spray  of  the  torrent  from  above;  while 
from  the  cave  came  the  sound  of  music, 
and  a  man's  voice  singing  to  the  harp. 

Then  Mson  put  down  the  lad,  and 
whispered,  — 

"  Fear  not,  but  go  in,  and  whomsoever 
you  shall  find,  lay  your  hands  upon  his 
knees,  and  say,  'In  the  name  of  Zeus  the 
father  of  gods  and  men,  I  am  your  guest 
from  this  day  forth/" 


116  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

Then  the  lad  went  in  without  trembling, 
for  he  too  was  a  hero's  son:  but  when 
he  was  within,  he  stopped  in  wonder,  to 
listen  to  that  magic  song. 

And  there  he  saw  the  singer  lying, 
upon  bear-skins  and  fragrant  boughs ; 
Cheiron,  the  ancient  centaur,  the  wisest 
of  all  things  beneath  the  sky.  Down  to 
the  waist  he  was  a  man;  but  below  he 
was  a  noble  horse ;  his  white  hair  rolled 
down  over  his  broad  shoulders,  and  his 
white  beard  over  his  broad  brown  chest; 
and  his  eyes  were  wise  and  mild,  and  his 
forehead  like  a  mountain-wall. 

And  in  his  hands  he  held  a  harp  of 
gold,  and  struck  it  with  a  golden  key ; 
and  as  he  struck,  he  sang  till  his  eyes 
glittered,  and  filled  all  the  cave  with 
light. 

And  he  sang  of  the  birth  of  Time,  and 
of  the  heavens  and  the  dancing  stars ;  and 
of  the  ocean,  and  the  ether,  and  the  fire, 
and  the  shaping  'of  the  wondrous  earth. 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  II1? 

And  he  sang  of  the  treasures  of  the  hills, 
and  the  hidden  jewels  of  the  mine,  and 
the  veins  of  fire  and  metal,  and  the 
virtues  of  all  healing  herbs,  and  of  the 
speech  of  birds,  and  of  prophecy,  and  of 
hidden  things  to  come. 

Then  he  sang  of  health,  and  strength, 
and  manhood,  and  a  valiant  heart;  and 
of  music,  and  hunting,  and  wrestling,  and 
all  the  games  which  heroes  love;  and  of 
travel,  and  wars,  and  sieges,  and  a  noble 
death  in  fight ;  and  then  he  sang  of  peace 
and  plenty,  and  of  equal  justice  in  the 
land ;  and  as  he  sang,  the  boy  listened 
wide-eyed,  and  forgot  his  errand  in  the 
song. 

And  at  the  last  old  Cheiron  was  silent, 
and  called  the  lad  with  a  soft  voice. 

And  the  lad  ran  trembling  to  him,  and 
would  have  laid  his  hands  upon  his  knees: 
but  Cheiron  smiled,  and  said,  "  Call  hither 
your  father  JEson,  for  I  know  you,  and 
all  that  has  befallen,  and  saw  you  both 


118  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

afar  in  the  valley,  even  before  you  left 
the  town." 

Then  JEson  came  in  sadly,  and  Cheiron 
asked  him,  "  Why  earnest  you  not  yourself 
to  me,  Msou  the  JSolid?" 

And  Mson  said, — 

"I  thought,  Cheiron  will  pity  the  lad 
if  he  sees  him  come  alone;  and  I  wished 
to  try  whether  he  was  fearless,  and  dare 
venture  like  a  hero's  son.  But  now  I 
entreat  you  by  Father  Zeus,  let  the  boy 
be  your  guest  till  better  times,  and  train 
him  among  the  sons  of  the  heroes,  that 
he  may  avenge  his  father's  house." 

Then  Cheiron  smile'd,  and  drew  the  lad 
to  him,  and  laid  his  hand  upon  his  golden 
locks,  and  said,  "Are  you  afraid  of  my 
horse's  hoofs,  fair  boy,  or  will  you  be  my 
pupil  from  this  day?" 

"I  would  gladly  have  horse's  hoofs  like 
you,  if  I  could  sing  such  songs  as  yours." 

And  Cheiron  laughed,  and  said,  "  Sit  here 
by  me  till  sundown,  when  your  playfellows 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  119 

will  come  home,  and  you  shall  learn  like 
them  to  be  a  king,  worthy  to  rule  over 
gallant  men." 

Then  he  turned  to  ^Eson,  and  said,  '<  Go 
back  in  peace,  and  bend  before  the  storm 
like  a  prudent  man.  This  boy  shall  not 
cross  the  Anauros  again,  till  he  has  become 
a  glory  to  you  and  to  the  house  of  JSolus." 

And  JEson  wept  over  his  son  and  went 
away ;  but  the  boy  did  not  weep,  so  full 
was  his  fancy  of  that  strange  cave,  and 
the  Centaur,  and  his  song,  and  the  play- 
fellows whom  he  was  to  see. 

Then  Cheiron  put  the  lyre  into  his  hands, 
and  taught  him  how  to  play  it,  till  the  sun 
sank  low  behind  the  cliff;  and  a  shout  was 
heard  outside. 

And  then  in  came  the  sons  of  the  heroes, 
^Eneas,  and  Heracles,  and  Peleus,  and 
many  another  mighty  name. 

And  great  Cheiron  leapt  up  joyfully,  and 
his  hoofs  made  the  cave  resound,  as  they 
shouted,  "  Come  out,  Father  Cheiron ;  come 


120  THE   AilGONAUTS. 

out  and  see  our  game."  And  one  cried, 
"  I  have  killed  two  deer,"  and  another,  "  I 
took  a  wild  cat  among  the  crags ; "  and 
Heracles  dragged  a  wild  goat  after  him  by 
its  horns,  for  he  was  as  huge  as  a  moun- 
tain crag ;  and  Cseneus  carried  a  bear-cub 
under  each  arm,  and  laughed  when  they 
scratched  and  bit ;  for  neither  tooth  nor 
steel  could  wound  him. 

And  Cheiron  praised  them  all,  each 
according  to  his  deserts. 

Only  one  walked  apart  and  silent,  Ascle- 
pius,  the  too-wise  child,  with  his  bosom 
full  of  herbs  and  flowers,  and  round  his 
wrist  a  spotted  snake  ;  he  came  with  down- 
cast eyes  to  Cheiron,  and  whispered  how 
he  had  watched  the  snake  cast  his  old  skin, 
and  grow  young  again  before  his  eyes,  and 
how  he  had  gone  down  into  a  village  in 
the  vale,  and  cured  a  dying  man  with  a 
herb  which  he  had  seen  a  sick  goat  eat. 

And  Cheiron  smiled,  and  said,  "  To  each 
Athene  and  Apollo  give  somr  gift,  and 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  121 

each  is  worthy  in  his  place ;  but  to  this 
child  they  have  given  an  honour  beyond 
all  honours,  to  cure  while  others  kill." 

Then  the  lads  brought  in  wood,  and 
split  it,  and  lighted  a  blazing  fire ;  and 
others  skinned  the  deer  and  quartered 
them,  and  set  them  to  roast  before  the 
fire ;  and  while  the  venison  was  cooking 
they  bathed  in  the  snow  torrent,  and 
washed  away  the  dust  and  sweat. 

And  then  all  ate  till  they  could  eat  no 
more,  (for  they  had  tasted  nothing  since 
the  dawn,)  and  drank  of  the  clear  spring 
water,  for  wine  is  not  fit  for  growing  lads. 
And  when  the  remnants  were  put  away, 
they  all  lay  down  upon  the  skins  and 
leaves  about  the  fire,  and  each  took  the 
lyre  in  turn,  and  sang  and  played  with  all 
his  heart. 

And  after  a  while  they  all  went  out  to 
a  plot  of  grass  at  the  cave's  mouth,  and 
there  they  boxed,  and  ran,  and  wrestled, 
6 


122  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

and  laughed  till  the  stones  fell  from  the 
cliffs. 

Then  Cheiron  took  his  lyre,  and  all  the 
lads  joined  hands ;  and  as  he  played,  they 
danced  to  his  measure,  in  and  out,  and 
round  and  round.  There  they  danced  hand 
in  hand,  till  the  night  fell  over  land  and 
sea,  while  the  black  glen  shone  with  their 
broad  white  limbs,  and  the  gleam  of  their 
golden  hair. 

And  the  lad  danced  with  them,  delighted, 
and  then  slept  a  wholesome  sleep,  upon 
fragrant  leaves  of  bay,  and  myrtle,  and 
marjoram,  and  flowers  of  thyme ;  and  rose 
at  the  dawn,  and  bathed  in  the  torrent,  and 
became  a  schoolfellow  to  the  heroes'  sons, 
and  forgot  lolcos,  and  his  father,  and  all 
his  former  life.  But  he  grew  strong,  and 
brave  and  cunning,  upon  the  pleasant 
downs  of  Pelion,  in  the  keen  hungry 
mountain  air.  And  he  learnt  to  wrestle, 
and  to  box,  and  to  hunt,  and  to  play  upon 
the  harp  ;  and  next  he  learnt  to  ride,  for 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  123 

old  Cheiron  used  to  mount  him  on  his 
back;  and  he  learnt  the  virtues  of  all 
herbs,  and  how  to  cure  all  wounds ;  and 
Cheiron  called  him  Jason  the  healer,  and 
that  is  his  name  until  this  day. 


PART    II. 

HOW  JASON   LOST   HIS   SANDAL   IN   ANAUROS. 

AND  ten  years  came  and  went,  and  Jason 
was  grown  to  be  a  mighty  man.  Some 
of  his  fellows  were  gone,  and  some  were 
growing  up  by  his  side.  Asclepius  was 
gone  into  Peloponnese,  to  work  his  won- 
drous cures  on  men  ;  and  some  say  he 
used  to  raise  the  dead  to  life.  And  Hera- 
cles was  gone  to  Thebes,  to  fulfil  those 
famous  labours  which  have  become  a  proverb 
among  men.  And  Peleus  had  married  a 
sea-nymph,  and  his  wedding  is  famous  to 
this  day.  And  ^Eneas  was  gone  home  to 
Troy,  and  many  a  noble  tale  you  will  read 


THE  ARGONAUTS.  125 

of  him,  and  of  all  the  other  gallant  heroes, 
the  scholars  of  Cheiron  the  just.  And  it 
happened  on  a  day  that  Jason  stood  on  the 
mountain,  and  looked  north  and  south  and 
east  and  west  ;  and  Cherion  stood  by  him 
and  watched  him,  for  he  knew  that  the 
time  was  come. 

And  Jason  looked  and  saw  the  plains 
of  Thessaly,  where  the  Lapithai  breed  their 
horses  ;  and  the  lake  of  Boibe,  and  the 
stream  which  runs  northward  to  Peneus 
and  Tempe  ;  and  he  looked  north,  and  saw 
the  mountain  wall  which  guards  the  Mag- 
nesian  shore  ;  Olympus,  the  seat  of  the 
Immortals,  and  Ossa.  and  Pelion,  where  he 
stood.  Then  he  looked  east  and  saw  the 
bright  blue  sea,  which  stretched  away  for- 
ever toward  the  dawn.  Then  he  looked 
south,  and  saw  a  pleasant  land,  with  white- 
walled  towns  and  farms,  nestling  along  the 
shore  of  a  land-locked  bay,  while  the 
smoke  rose  blue  among  the  trees  ;  and  he 
knew  it  for  the  bay  of  Pagasai,  and  the 


126  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

rich  lowlands  of  Haemonia,  and  lolcos  by 
the  sea. 

Then  he  sighed,  and  asked  :  "  Is  it  true 
what  the  heroes  tell  me,  that  I  am  heir 
of  that  fair  land  ?  " 

"  And  what  good  would  it  be  to  you, 
Jason,  if  you  were  heir  of  that  fair  land  ? " 

"  I  would  take  it  and  keep  it." 

"  A  strong  man  has  taken  it  and  kept 
it  long.  Are  you  stronger  than  Pelias  the 
terrible  ?  " 

"  I  can  try  my  strength  with  his,"  said 
Jason.  But  Cheiron  sighed,  and  said  :  — 

"  You  have  many  a  danger  to  go  through 
before  you  rule  in  lolcos  by  the  sea  ; 
many  a  danger,  and  many  a  woe  ;  and 
strange  troubles  in  strange  lands,  such  as 
man  never  saw  before." 

"  The  happier  I,"  said  Jason,  "  to  see 
what  man  never  saw  before." 

And  Cheiron  sighed  again,  and  said  : 
"  The  eaglet  must  leave  the  nest  when  it 
is  fledged.  Will  you  go  to  lolcos  by  the 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  127 

sea  ?  Then  promise  me  two  things  before 
you  go." 

Jason  promised,  and  Cheiron  answered : 
"  Speak  harshly  to  no  soul  whom  you  may 
meet,  and  stand  by  the  word  which  you 
shall  speak." 

Jason  wondered  why  Cheiron  asked  this 
of  him  ;  but  he  knew  that  the  Centaur 
was  a  prophet,  and  saw  things  long  before 
they  came.  So  he  promised,  and  leapt 
down  the  mountain,  to  take  his  fortune 
like  a  man. 

He  went  down  through  the  arbutus 
thickets,  and  across  the  downs  of  thyme, 
till  he  came  to  the  vineyard  walls,  and  the 
pomegranates  and  the  olives  in  the  glen  ; 
and  among  the  olives  roared  Anauros,  all 
foaming  with  a  summer  flood. 

And  on  the  bank  of  Anauros  sat  a 
woman,  all  wrinkled,  gray,  and  old  ;  her 
head  shook  palsied  on  her  breast,  and  her 
hands  shook  palsied  on  her  knees  ;  and 
when  she  saw  Jason,  she  spoke  whining  : 
u  \\J\\r.  \vill  OMiTV  me  across  tb«  floor!  °  " 


128  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

Jason  was  bold  and  hasty,  and  was  just 
going  to  leap  into  the  flood  ;  and  yet  he 
thought  twice  before  he  leapt,  so  loud 
roared  the  torrent  down,  all  brown  from 
the  mountain  rains,  and  silver-veined  with 
melting  snow  ;  while  underneath  he  could 
hear  the  boulders  rumbling  like  the  tramp 
of  horsemen  or  the  roll  of  wheels,  as  they 
ground  along  the  narrow  channel,  and 
shook  the  rocks  on  which  he  stood. 

But  the  old  woman  whined  all  the  more  : 
"  I  am  weak  and  old,  fair  youth.  For 
Hera's  sake,  carry  me  over  the  torrent." 

And  Jason  was  going  to  answer  her 
scornfully,  when  Cheiron's  words  came  to 
his  mind. 

So  he  said  :  "  For  Hera's  sake,  the  Queen 
of  the  Immortals  on  Olympus,  I  will  carry 
you  over  the  torrent,  unless  we  both  are 
drowned  midway." 

Then  the  old  dame  leapt  upon  his  back, 
as  nimbly  as  a  goat ;  and  Jason  staggered 
in,  wondering  ;  and  the  first  step  was  up 
to  his  knees. 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  129 

The  first  step  was  up  to  his  knees,  and 
the  second  step  was  up  to  his  waist  ;  and 
the  stones  rolled  about  his  feet,  and  his 
feet  slipped  about  the  stones  ;  so  he  went 
on  staggering  and  panting,  while  the  old 
woman  cried  from  off  his  back  :  — 

"  Fool,  you  have  wet  my  mantle  !  Do 
you  make  game  of  poor  old  souls  like 
me?" 

Jason  had  half  a  mind  to  drop  her,  and 
let  her  get  through  the  torrent  by  herself; 
but  Cheiron's  words  were  in  his  mind,  and 
he  said  only  :  "  Patience,  mother  ;  the  best 
horse  may  stumble  some  day." 

At  last  he  staggered  to  the  shore,  and 
set  her  down  upon  the  bank  ;  and  a  strong 
man  he  needed  to  have  been,  or  that  wild 
water  he  never  would  have  crossed. 

He  lay  panting  awhile  upon  the  bank, 
and  then  leapt  up  to  go  upon  his  jour- 
ney ;  but  he  cast  one  look  at  the  old 
woman,  for  he  thought,  "  She  should  thank 
me  once  at  least." 
6* 


130  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

And  as  he  looked,  she  grew  fairer  than 
all  women,  and  taller  than  all  men  on 
earth ;  and  her  garments  shone  like  the 
summer  sea,  and  her  jewels  like  the  stars 
of  heaven  ;  and  over  her  forehead  was  a 
veil,  woven  of  the  golden  clouds  of  sunset; 
and  through  the  veil  she  looked  down  on 
him,  with  great  soft  heifer's  eyes ;  with 
great  eyes,  mild  and  awful,  which  filled  all 
the  glen  with  light. 

And  Jason  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  hid 
his  face  between  his  hands. 

And  she  spoke  —  "I  am  the  Queen  of 
Olympus,  Hera  the  wife  of  Zeus.  As  thou 
hast  done  to  me,  so  will  I  do  to  thee. 
Call  on  me  in  the  hour  of  need,  and  try 
if  the  Immortals  can  forget." 

And  when  Jason  looked  up,  she  rose 
from  off  the  earth,  like  a  pillar  of  tall 
white  cloud,  and  floated  away  across  the 
mountain  peaks,  toward  Olympus  the  holy 
hill. 

Then    a    great    fear    fell   on    Jason ;  but 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  131 

after  a  while  he  grew  light  of  heart ;  and 
he  blessed  old  Cheiron,  and  said  —  "  Surely 
the  Centaur  is  a  prophet,  and  guessed 
what  would  come  to  pass,  when  he  bade 
me  speak  harshly  to  no  soul  whom  I  might 
meet." 

Then  he  went  down  toward  lolcos,  and 
as  he  walked,  he  found  that  he  had  lost  one 
of  his  sandals  in  the  flood. 

And  as  he  went  through  the  streets,  the 
people  came  out  to  look  at  him,  so  tall 
and  fair  was  he  ;  but  some  of  the  elders 
whispered  together ;  and  at  last  one  of 
them  stopped  Jason,  and  called  to  him  — 
"  Fair  lad,  who  are  you,  and  whence  come 
you ;  and  what  is  your  errand  in  the 
town?" 

"My  name,  good  father,  is  Jason,  and  1 
come  from  Pelion  up  above  ;  and  my  errand 
is  to  Pelias  your  king ;  tell  me  then  where 
his  palace  is." 

But  the  old  man  started,  and  grew  pale 
and  said,  "  Do  you  not  know  the  oracle. 


132  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

my  son,  that  you  go  so  boldly  through 
the  town,  with  but  one  sandal  on  ? " 

"I  am  a  stranger  here,  and  know  of  no 
oracle ;  but  what  of  my  one  sandal  ?  I 
lost  the  other  in  Anauros,  while  I  was 
struggling  with  the  flood." 

Then  the  old  man  looked  back  to  his 
companions ;  and  one  sighed  and  another 
smiled ;  at  last  he  said  —  "I  will  tell  you, 
lest  you  rush  upon  your  ruin  unawares. 
The  oracle  in  Delphi  has  said,  that  a 
man  wearing  one  sandal  should  take  the 
kingdom  from  Pelias,  and  keep  it  for  him- 
self. Therefore  beware  how  you  go  up  to 
his  palace,  for  he  is  the  fiercest  and  most 
cunning  of  all  kings." 

Then  Jason  laughed  a  great  laugh,  like 
a  war-horse  in  his  pride  — "  Good  news, 
good  father,  both  for  you  and  me.  For 
that  very  end  I  came  into  the  town." 

Then  he  strode  on  toward  the  palace  of 
Pelias,  while  all  the  people  wondered  at 
his  bearing. 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  138 

And  he  stood  in  the  doorway  and  cried, 
"  Come  out,  come  out,  Pelias  the  valiant, 
and  fight  for  your  kingdom  like  a  man." 

Pelias  came  out  wondering,  and  "  Who 
are  you,  bold  youth  ? "  he  cried. 

"  I  am  Jason,  the  son  of  ^Eson,  the  heir 
of  all  this  land." 

Then  Pelias  lifted  up  his  hands  and 
eyes,  and  wept,  or  seemed  to  weep ;  and 
blessed  the  heavens  which  had  brought  his 
nephew  to  him,  never  to  leave  him  more. 
"  For,"  said  he,  "  I  have  but  three  daugh- 
ters, and  no  son  to  be  my  heir.  You  shall 
be  my  heir  then,  and  rule  the  kingdom 
after  me,  and  marry  whichsoever  of  my 
daughters  you  shall  choose  ;  though  a  sad 
kingdom  you  will  find  it,  and  whosoever 
rules  it  a  miserable  man.  But  come  in, 
come  in,  and  feast." 

So  he  drew  Jason  in,  whether  he  would 
or  not,  and  spoke  to  him  so  lovingly  and 
feasted  him  so  well,  that  Jason's  anger 
passed  ;  and  after  supper  his  three  cousins 


134  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

came  into  the  hall,  and  Jason  thought  that 
he  should  like  well  enough  to  have  one 
of  them  for  his  wife. 

But  at  last  he  said  to  Pelias,  "Why  do 
you  look  so  sad,  my  uncle  ?  And  what 
did  you  mean  just  now.  when  you  said 
that  this  was  a  doleful  kingdom,  and  its 
ruler  a  miserable  man  ?  " 

Then  Pelias  sighed  heavily  again  and 
again  and  again,  like  a  man  who  had  to 
tell  some  dreadful  story  and  was  afraid  to 
begin  ;  but  at  last  — 

"  For  seven  long  years  and  more  have  I 
never  known  a  quiet  night ;  and  no  more 
will  he  who  comes  after  me,  till  the  golden 
fleece  be  brought  home." 

Then  he  told  Jason  the  story  of  Phrixus, 
and  of  the  golden  fleece ;  and  told  him, 
too,  which  was  a  lie,  that  Phrixus's  spirit 
tormented  him,  calling  to  him  day  and 
night.  And  his  daughters  came,  and  told 
the  same  tale,  (for  their  father  had  taught 
them  their  parts,)  and  wept,  and  said,  "  Oh, 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  135 

who  will  bring  home  the  golden  fleece,  that 
our  uncle's  spirit  may  have  rest  ;  and  that 
we  may  have  rest  also,  whom  he  never 
lets  sleep  in  peace  ? " 

Jason  sat  awhile,  sad  and  silent ;  for  he 
had  often  heard  of  that  golden  fleece  ;  but 
he  looked  on  it  as  a  thing  hopeless  and 
impossible  for  any  mortal  man  to  win  it 

But  when  Pelias  saw  him  silent,  he 
began  to  talk  of  other  things,  and  courted 
Jason  more  and  more,  speaking  to  him  as 
if  he  was  certain  to  be  his  heir,  and  ask- 
ing his  advice  about  the  kingdom ;  till 
Jason,  who  was  young  and  simple,  could 
not  help  saying  to  himself,  "  Surely  he  is 
not  the  dark  man  whom  people  call  him. 
Yet  why  did  he  drive  my  father  out  ? " 
And  he  asked  Pelias  boldly,  "  Men  say 
that  you  are  terrible,  and  a  man  of  blood ; 
but  I  find  you  a  kind  and  hospitable  man ; 
and  as  you  are  to  me,  so  will  I  be  to  you. 
Yet  why  did  you  drive  my  father  out?" 

Pelias  smiled  and    sighed :     "  Men    have 


136  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

slandered  me  in  that,  as  in  all  things. 
Your  father  was  growing  old  and  weary, 
and  he  gave  the  kingdom  up  to  me  of  his 
own  will.  You  shall  see  him  to-morrow, 
and  ask  him ;  and  he  will  tell  you  the 


same." 


Jason's  heart  leapt  in  him,  when  he 
heard  that  he  was  to  see  his  father ;  and 
he  believed  all  that  Pelias  said,  forgetting 
that  his  father  might  not  dare  to  tell  the 
truth. 

66  One  thing  more  there  is,"  said  Pelias, 
"  on  which  I  need  your  advice  ;  for  though 
you  are  young,  I  see  in  you  a  wisdom 
beyond  your  years.  There  is  one  neigh- 
bour of  mine,  whom  I  dread  more  than  all 
men  on  earth.  I  am  stronger  than  he 
now,  and  can  command  him  :  but  I  know 
that  if  he  stay  among  us,  he  will  work 
my  ruin  in  the  end.  Can  you  give  me  a 
plan,  Jason,  by  which  I  can  rid  myself  of 
that  man?" 

After  awhile,  Jason  answered,  half  laugh- 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  137 

ing,  u  Were  I  you,  I  would  send  him  to 
fetch  that  same  golden  fleece;  for  if  he 
once  set  forth  after  it  you  would  never  be 
troubled  with  him  more/' 

And  at  that  a  bitter  smile  came  across 
Pelias's  lips,  and  a  flash  of  wicked  joy  into 
his  eyes ;  and  Jason  saw  it,  and  started ; 
and  over  his  mind  came  the  warning  of 
the  old  man,  and  his  own  one  sandal,  and 
the  oracle,  and  he  saw  that  he  was  taken 
in  a  trap. 

But  Pelias  only  answered  gently,  "  My 
son,  he  shall  be  sent  forthwith." 

"  You  mean  me  ?  "  cried  Jason,  starting 
up,  "  because  I  came  here  with  one  sandal?" 
And  he  lifted  his  fist  angrily,  while  Pelias 
stood  up  to  him  like  a  wolf  at  bay ;  and 
whether  of  the  two  was  the  stronger  and 
the  fiercer,  it  would  be  hard  to  tell. 

But  after  a  moment  Pelias  spoke  gently  — 
"  Why  then  so  rash,  my  son  ?  You,  and 
not  I,  have  said  what  is  said ;  why  blame 
me  for  what  I  have  not  done  V  Had  you  bid 


138  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

me  love  the  man  of  whom  I  spoke,  and 
make  him  my  son-in-law  and  heir,  I  would 
have  obeyed  you  ;  and  what  if  I  obey  you 
now,  and  send  the  man  to  win  himself 
immortal  fame  ?  I  have  not  harmed  you, 
or  him.  One  thing  at  least  I  know,  that 
he  will  go,  and  that  gladly  :  for  he  has  a 
hero's  heart  within  him ;  loving  glory,  and 
scorning  to  break  the  word  which  he  has 
given." 

Jason  saw  that  he  was  entrapped :  but 
his  second  promise  to  Cheiron  came  into 
his  mind,  arid  he  thought,  "  What  if  the 
Centaur  w^re  a  prophet  in  that  also,  and 
meant  that  I  should  win  the  fleece ! "  Then 
he  cried  aloud,  — 

"  You  have  well  spoken,  cunning  uncle 
of  mine  !  I  love  glory,  and  I  dare  keep 
to  my  word.  I  will  go  and  fetch  this 
golden  fleece.  Promise  me  but  this  in 
return,  and  keep  your  word  as  I  keep 
mine.  Treat  my  father  lovingly  while  I 
am  gone,  for  the  sake  of  the  all-seeing 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  139 

Zeus ;  and  give  me  up  the  kingdom  for 
my  own,  on  the  day  that  I  bring  back  the 
golden  fleece." 

Then  Pelias  looked  at  him  and  almost 
loved  him,  in  the  midst  of  all  his  hate  ; 
and  said,  "  I  promise,  and  I  will  perform. 
It  will  be  no  shame  to  give  up  my  king- 
dom to  the  man  who  wins  that  fleece." 

Then  they  swore  a  great  oath  between 
them ;  and  afterwards  both  went  in,  and 
lay  down  to  sleep. 

But  Jason  could  not  sleep,  for  thinking 
of  his  mighty  oath,  and  .  how  he  was  to 
fulfil  it,  all  alone,  and  without  wealth  or 
friends.  So  he  tossed  a  long  time  upon 
his  bed,  and  thought  of  this  plan  and  of 
that ;  and  sometimes  Phrixus  seemed  to 
call  him,  in  a  thin  voice,  faint  and  low,  as 
if  it  came  from  far  across  the  sea  — "  Let 
me  come  home  to  my  fathers  and  have 
rest."  And  sometimes  he  seemed  to  see 
the  eyes  of  Hera,  and  to  hear  her  words 
again,  —  "  Call  on  me  in  the  hour  of  need, 
and  see  if  the  Immortals  can  forget." 


140  THE    ARGONAUTS 

And  on  the  morrow  he  went  to  Pelias, 
and  said,  "  Give  me  a  victim,  that  I  may 
sacrifice  to  Hera."  So  he  went  up,  and 
offered  his  sacrifice  ;  and  as  he  stood  by 
the  altar,  Hera  sent  a  thought  into  his 
mind;  and  he  went  back  to  Pelias,  and 
said  — 

"  If  you  are  indeed  in  earnest,  give  me 
two  heralds,  that  they  may  go  round  to 
all  the  princes  of  the  Minuai,  who  were 
pupils  of  the  Centaur  with  me,  that  we 
may  fit  out  a  ship  together,  and  take  what 
shall  befall." 

At  that  Pelias  praised  his  wisdom,  and 
hastened  to  send  the  heralds  out ;  for  he 
said  in  his  heart,  "Let  all  the  princes  go 
with  him,  and  like  him,  never  return ; 
for  so  I  shall  be  lord  of  all  the  Minuai, 
and  the  greatest  king  in  Hellas. 


PART    III. 

HOW    THEY    BUILT    THE    SHIP    ARGO    IN    IOLCOS. 

So  the  heralds  went  out,  and  cried  to 
all  the  heroes  of  the  Minuai,  "Who  dare 
come  to  the  adventure  of  the  golden 
fleece?" 

And  Hera  stirree1  the  hearts  of  all  the 
princes,  and  they  came  from  all  their 
valleys  to  the  yellow  sands  of  Pagasai. 
And  first  came  Heracles  the  mighty,  with 
his  lion's  skin  and  club,  and  behind  him 
Hylas  his  young  squire,  who  bore  his 
arrows  and  his  bow ;  and  Tiphys,  the 
skilful  steersman ;  and  Butes,  the  fairest 
of  all  men;  and  Castor  and  Polydeuces 


142  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

the  twins,  the  sons  of  the  magic  swan ; 
and  Caineus,  the  strongest  of  mortals, 
whom  the  Centaurs  tried  in  vain  to  kill, 
and  overwhelmed  him  with  trunks  of  pine- 
trees,  but  even  so  he  would  not  die ;  and 
thither  came  Zetes  and  Calais,  the  winged 
sons  of  the  north  wind;  and  Peleus,  the 
father  of  Achilles,  whose  bride  was  silver- 
footed  Thetis  the  goddess  of  the  sea.  And 
thither  came  Telamon  and  Oileus,  the 
fathers  of  the  two  Aiantes,  who  fought 
upon  the  plains  of  Troy;  and  Mopsus, 
the  wise  soothsayer,  who  knew  the  speech 
of  birds;  and  Idmon,  to  whom  Phoebus 
gave  a  tongue  to  prophesy  of  things  to 
come ;  and  Ancaios,  who  could  read  the 
stars,  and  knew  all  the  circles  of  the 
heavens;  and  Argus,  the  famed  shipbuilder, 
and  many  a  hero  more,  in  helmets  of  brass 
and  gold  with  tall  dyed  horse-hair  crests, 
and  embroidered  shirts  of  linen  beneath 
their  coats  of  mail,  and  greaves  of  polished 
tin  to  guard  their  knees  in  fight;  with 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  143 

each  man  his  shield  upon  his  shoulder,  of 
many  a  fold  of  tough  bull's  hide,  and  his 
sword  of  tempered  bronze  in  his  silver- 
studded  belt,  and  in  his  right  hand  a  pair 
of  lances,  of  the  heavy  white  ash-staves. 

So  they  came  down  to  lolcos,  and  all 
the  city  came  out  to  meet  them,  and  were 
never  tired  with  looking  at  their  height, 
and  their  beauty,  and  their  gallant  bearing, 
and  the  glitter  of  their  inlaid  arms.  And 
some  said,  "Never  was  such  a  gathering 
of  the  heroes  since  the  Hellens  conquered 
the  land."  But  the  women  sighed  over 
them,  and  whispered,  "Alas !  they  are  all 
going  to  their  death." 

Then  they  felled  the  pines  on  Pelion, 
and  shaped  them  with  the  axe,  and  Argus 
taught  them  to  build  a  galley,  the  first 
long  ship  which  ever  sailed  the  seas. 
They  pierced  her  for  fifty  oars,  an  oar  for 
each  hero  of  the  crew,  and  pitched  her 
with  coal-black  pitch,  and  painted  her 
bows  with  vermilion ;  and  they  named  her 


144  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

Argo  after  Argus,  and  worked  at  her  all 
day  long.  And  at  night  Pelias  feasted 
them  like  a  king,  and  they  slept  in  his 
palace-porch. 

But  Jason  went  away  to  the  northward, 
and  into  the  land  of  Thrace,  till  he  found 
Orpheus,  the  prince  of  minstrels,  where  he 
dwelt  in  his  cave  under  Rhodope,  among 
the  savage  Cicon  tribes.  And  he  asked 
him  —  "Will  you  leave  your  mountains, 
Orpheus,  my  fellow-scholar  in  old  times, 
and  cross  Strymon  once  more  with  me,  to 
sail  with  the  heroes  of  the  Minuai,  and 
bring  home  the  golden  fleece,  and  charm 
for  us  all  men  and  all  monsters  with  your 
magic  harp  and  song  ? " 

Then  Orpheus  sighed  — "  Have  I  not 
had  enough  of  toil  and  of  weary  wandering 
far  and  wide,  since  I  lived  in  Cheiron's 
cave,  above  lolcos  by  the  sea?  In  vain  is 
the  skill  and  the  voice  which  my  goddess 
mother  gave  me ;  in  vain  have  I  sung 
and  laboured ;  in  vain  I  went  down  to  the 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  145 

dead,  and  charmed  all  the  kings  of  Hades, 
to  win  back  Eurydice  my  bride.  For  I 
won  her,  my  beloved,  and  lost  her  again 
the  same  day,  and  wandered  away  in  my 
madness,  even  to  Egypt  and  the  Libyan 
sands,  and  the  isles  of  all  the  seas,  driven 
on  by  the  terrible  gadfly,  while  I  charmed 
in  vain  the  hearts  of  men,  and  the  savage 
forest  beasts,  and  the  trees,  and  the  life- 
less stones,  with  my  magic  harp  and  song, 
giving  rest,  but  finding  none.  But  at  last 
Calliope,  my  mother,  delivered  me,  and 
brought  me  home  in  peace ;  and  I  dwell 
here  in  the  cave  alone,  among  the  savage 
Cicon  tribes,  softening  their  wild  hearts 
with  music  and  the  gentle  laws  of  Zeus. 
And  now  I  must  go  out  again,  to  the 
ends  of  all  the  earth,  far  away  into  the 
misty  darkness,  to  the  last  wave  of  the 
Eastern  Sea.  But  what  is  doomed  must 
be,  and  a  friend's  demand  obeyed ;  for 
prayers  are  the  daughters  of  Zeus,  and 
who  honours  them  honours  him." 
7 


146  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

Then  Orpheus  rose  up  sighing,  and  took 
his  harp,  and  went  over  Strymon.  And 
he  led  Jason  to  the  southwest,  up  the 
banks  of  Haliacmon  and  over  the  spurs 
of  Pindus,  to  Dodona  the  town  of  Zeus, 
where  it  stood  by  the  side  of  the  sacred 
lake,  and  the  fountain  which  breathed  out 
fire,  in  the  darkness  of  the  ancient  oak 
wood,  beneath  the  mountain  of  the  hundred 
springs.  And  he  led  him  to  the  holy  oak, 
where  the  black  dove  settled  in  old  times, 
and  was  changed  into  the  priestess  of 
Zeus,  and  gave  oracles  to  all  nations  round 
And  he  bade  him  cut  down  a  bough,  and 
sacrifice  to  Hera  and  to  Zeus  ;  and  they 
took  the  bough  and  came  to  lolcos,  and 
nailed  it  to  the  beak-head  of  the  ship. 

And  at  last  the  ship  was  finished,  and 
they  tried  to  launch  her  down  the  beach ; 
but  she  was  too  heavy  for  them  to  move 
her,  and  her  keel  sank  deep  in  the  sand. 
Then  all  the  heroes  looked  at  each  other 
blushing  ;  but  Jason  spoke,  and  said,  "  Let 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  147 

us  ask  the  magic  bough;  perhaps  it  can 
help  us  in  our  need." 

Then  a  voice  came  from  the  bough,  and 
Jason  heard  the  words  it  said,  and  bade 
Orpheus  play  upon  the  harp,  while  the 
heroes  waited  round,  holding  the  pine- 
trunk  rollers,  to  help  her  toward  the  sea. 

Then  Orpheus  took  his  harp,  and  began 
his  magic  song :  "  How  sweet  it  is  to 
ride  upon  the  surges,  and  to  leap  from 
wave  to  wave,  while  the  wind  sings  cheer- 
ful in  the  cordage,  and  the  oars  flash  fast 
among  the  foam !  How  sweet  it  is  to 
roam  across  the  ocean,  and  see  new  towns 
and  wondrous  lands,  and  to  come  home 
laden  with  treasure,  and  to  win  undying 
fame ! " 

And  the  good  ship  Argo  heard  him,  and 
longed  to  be  away  and  out  at  sea;  till 
she  stirred  in  every  timber,  and  heaved 
from  stem  to  stern,  and  leapt  up  from  the 
sand  upon  the  rollers,  and  plunged  onward 
like  a  gallant  horse ;  and  the  heroes  fed 


148  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

her  path  with   pine-trunks,  till  she  rushed 
into  the  whispering  sea. 

Then  they  stored  her  well  with  food 
and  water,  and  pulled  the  ladder  up  on 
board,  and  settled  themselves  each  man  to 
his  oar,  and  kept  time  to  Orpheus's  harp ; 
and  away  across  the  bay  they  rowed 
southward,  while  the  people  lined  the 
cliffs;  and  the  women  wept  while  the  men 
shouted,  at  the  starting  of  that  gallant 
crew. 


PAET  IV. 

HOW  THE  ARGONAUTS  SAILED  TO  COLCHIS. 

AND  what  happened  next,  my  children, 
whether  it  be  true  or  not,  stands  written 
in  ancient  songs,  which  you  shall  read  for 
yourselves  some  day.  And  grand  old 
songs  they  are,  written  in  grand  old  roll- 
ing verse ;  and  they  call  them  the  Songs 
of  Orpheus,  or  the  Orphics,  to  this  day. 
And  they  tell  how  the  heroes  came  to 
Aphetai,  across  the  bay,  and  waited  for 
the  southwest  wind,  and  chose  themselves 
a  captain  from  their  crew :  and  how  all 
called  for  Heracles,  because  he  was  the 
strongest  and  most  huge ;  but  Heracles 


150  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

refused,  and  called  for  Jason,  because  he 
was  the  wisest  of  them  all.  So  Jason  was 
chosen  captain :  and  Orpheus  heaped  a 
pile  of  wood,  and  slew  a  bull,  and  offered 
it  to  Hera,  and  called  all  the  heroes  to 
stand  round,  each  man's  head  crowned 
with  olive,  and  to  strike  their  swords  into 
the  bull.  Then  he  filled  a  golden  goblet 
with  the  bull's  blood,  and  with  wheaten 
flour,  and  honey,  and  wine,  and  the  bitter 
salt  sea-water,  and  bade  the  heroes  taste. 
So  each  tasted  the  goblet,  and  passed  it 
round,  and  vowed  an  awful  vow :  and  they 
vowed  before  the  sun,  and  the  night,  and 
the  blue-haired  sea  who  shakes  the  land, 
to  stand  by  Jason  faithfully,  in  the  adven- 
ture of  the  golden  fleece ;  and  whosoever 
shrank  back,  or  disobeyed,  or  turned 
traitor  to  his  vow,  then  justice  should 
witness  against  him,  and  the  Erinnues 
who  track  guilty  men. 

Then   Jason  lighted  the  pile,  and  burnt 
the  carcase  of  the  bull ;   and  they  went  to 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  151 

their  ship  and  sailed  eastward,  like  men 
who  have  a  work  to  do ;  and  the  place 
from  which  they  went  was  called  Aphetai, 
the  sailing-place,  from  that  day  forth. 
Three  thousand  years  and  more  they  sailed 
away,  into  the  unknown  Eastern  seas ;  and 
great  nations  have  come  and  gone  since 
then,  and  many  a  storm  has  swept  the 
earth ;  and  many  a  mighty  armament,  to 
which  Argo  would  be  but  one  small  boat, 
English  and  French,  Turkish  and  Russian, 
have  sailed  those  waters  since ;  yet  the 
fame  of  that  small  Argo  lives  forever,  and 
her  name  is  become  a  proverb  among 
men. 

So  they  sailed  past  the  Isle  of  Sciathos, 
with  the  Cape  of  Sepius  on  their  left,  and 
turned  to  the  northward  toward  Pelion,  up 
the  long  Magnesian  shore.  On  their  right 
hand  was  the  open  sea,  and  on  their  left 
old  Pelion  rose,  while  the  clouds  crawled 
round  his  dark  pine-forests,  and  his  caps 
of  summer  snow.  And  their  hearts 


152  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

yearned  for  the  dear  old  mountain,  as 
they  thought  of  pleasant  days  gone  by, 
and  of  the  sports  of  their  boyhood,  and 
their  hunting,  and  their  schooling  in  the 
cave  beneath  the  cliff.  And  at  last  Peleus 
spoke  —  "Let  us  land  here,  friends,  and 
climb  the  dear  old  hill  once  more.  We 
are  going  on  a  fearful  journey :  who 
knows  if  we  shall  see  Pelion  again  ?  Let 
us  go  up  to  Cheiron  our  master,  and  ask 
his  blessing  ere  we  start.  And  I  have  a 
boy,  too,  with  him,  whom  he  trains  as  he 
trained  me  once,  the  son  whom  Thetis 
brought  me,  the  silver-footed  lady  of  the 
sea,  whom  I  caught  in  the  cave,  and 
tamed  her,  though  she  changed  her  shape 
seven  times.  For  she  changed,  as  I  held 
her,  into  water,  and  to  vapour,  and  to 
burning  flame,  and  to  a  rock,  and  to  a 
black-maned  lion,  and  to  a  tall  and  stately 
tree.  But  I  held  her  and  held  her  ever, 
till  she  took  her  own  shape  again,  and  led 
her  to  my  father's  house,  and  won  her  for 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  153 

my  bride.  And  all  the  rulers  of  Olympus 
came  to  our  wedding,  and  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  rejoiced  together,  when  an 
immortal  wedded  mortal  man.  And  now 
let  me  see  my  son ;  for  it  is  not  often  I 
shall  see  him  upon  earth  :  famous  he  will 
be,  but  short-lived,  and  die  in  the  flower 
of  youth." 

So  Tiphys,  the  helmsman,  steered  them 
to  the  shore  under  the  crags  of  Pelion ; 
and  they  went  up  through  the  dark  pine- 
forests  toward  the  Centaur's  cave. 

And  they  came  into  the  misty  hall,  be- 
neath the  snow-crowned  crag ;  and  saw  the 
great  Centaur  lying  with  his  huge  limbs 
spread  upon  the  rock ;  and  beside  him 
stood  Achilles,  the  child  whom  no  steel 
could  wound,  and  played  upon  his  harp 
right  sweetly,  while  Cheiron  watched  and 
smiled. 

Then  Cheiron  leapt  up  and  welcomed 
them,  and  kissed  them  every  one,  and  set 
a  feast  before  them,  of  swine's  flesh,  and 
7* 


154  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

venison,  and  good  wine  ;  and  young  Achilles 
served  them,  and  carried  the  golden  goblet 
round.  And  after  supper  all  the  heroes 
clapped  their  hands,  and  called  on  Orpheus 
to  sing ;  hut  he  refused,  and  said,  "  How 
can  I,  who  am  the  younger,  sing  before 
our  ancient  host  ? "  So  they  called  on 
Cheiron  to  sing,  and  Achilles  brought  him 
his  harp  ;  and  he  began  a  wondrous  song ; 
a  famous  story  of  old  time,  of  the  fight 
between  Centaurs  and  the  Lapithai,  which 
you  may  still  see  carved  in  stone.*  He 
sang  how  his  brothers  came  to  ruin  by 
their  folly,  when  they  were  mad  with 
wine ;  and  how  they  and  the  heroes  fought, 
with  fists,  and  teeth,  and  the  goblets  from 
which  they  drank ;  and  how  they  tore  up 
the  pine  trees  in  their  fury,  and  hurled 
great  crags  of  stone,  while  the  mountains 
thundered  with  the  battle,  and  the  land 
was  wasted  far  and  wide  ;  till  the  Lapithai 
drove  them  from  their  home  in  the  rich 

*  In  the  Elgin  Marbles. 


THE  ARGONAUTS.  155 

Thessalian  plains  to  the  lonely  glens  of 
Pindus,  leaving  Cheiron  all  alone.  And  the 
heroes  praised  his  song  right  heartily  ;  for 
some  of  them  had  helped  in  that  great 
fight. 

Then  Orpheus  took  the  lyre,  and  sang 
of  Chaos,  and  the  making  of  the  wondrous 
World,  and  how  all  things  sprang  from 
Love,  who  could  not  live  alone  in  the 
Abyss.  And  as  he  sang,  his  voice  rose 
from  the  cave,  above  the  crags,  and  through 
the  tree-tops,  and  the  glens  of  oak  and 
pine.  And  the  trees  bowed  their  heads 
when  they  heard  it,  and  the  grey  rocks 
cracked  and  rang,  and  the  forest  beasts 
crept  near  to  listen,  and  the  birds  forsook 
their  nests  and  hovered  round.  And  old 
Cheiron  clapt  his  hands  together,  and  beat 
his  hoofs  upon  the  ground,  for  wonder  at 
that  magic  song. 

Then  Peleus  kissed  his  boy,  and  wept 
over  him,  and  they  went  down  to  the 
ship ;  and  Cheiron  came  down  with  them, 


156  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

weeping,  and  kissed  them  one  by  one,  and 
blest  them,  and  promised  to  them  great 
renown.  And  the  heroes  wept  when  they 
left  him,  till  their  great  hearts  could 
weep  no  more ;  for  he  was  kind  and  just 
and  pious,  and  wiser  than  all  beasts  and 
men.  Then  he  went  up  to  a  cliff,  and 
prayed  for  them,  that  they  might  come 
home  safe  and  well  ;  while  the  heroes 
rowed  away,  and  watched  him  standing  on 
his  cliff  above  the  sea,  with  his  great 
hands  raised  toward  heaven,  and  his  white 
locks  waving  in  the  wind  ;  and  they 
strained  their  eyes  to  watch  him  to  the 
last,  for  they  felt  that  they  should  look 
on  him  no  more. 

So  they  rowed  on  over  the  long  swell 
of  the  sea,  past  Olympus,  the  seat  of  the 
immortals,  and  past  the  wooded  bays  of 
Athos,  and  Samothrace,  the  sacred  isle  ; 
and  they  came  past  Lemnos  to  the  Helle- 
spont, .  and  through  the  narrow  strait  of 
Abydos,  and  so  on  into  the  Propontis, 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  157 

which  we  call  Marmora  now.  And  there 
they  met  with  Cyzicus,  ruling  in  Asia 
over  the  Dolions,  who,  the  songs  say,  was 
the  son  of  ^Eneas,  of  whom  you  will  hear 
many  a  tale  some  day.  For  Homer  tells 
us  how  he  fought  at  Troy ;  and  Virgil  how 
he  sailed  away  and  founded  Rome ;  and 
men  believed  until  late  years  that  from 
him  sprang  our  old  British  kings.  Now 
Cyzicus,  the  songs  say,  welcomed  the 
heroes ;  for  his  father  had  been  one  of 
Cheiron's  scholars;  so  he  welcomed  them, 
and  feasted  them,  and  stored  their  ship 
with  corn  and  wine,  and  cloaks  and  rugs, 
the  songs  say,  and  shirts,  of  which  no 
doubt  they  stood  in  need. 

But  at  night,  while  they  lay  sleeping, 
came  down  on  them  terrible  men,  who 
lived  with  the  bears  in  the  mountains,  like 
Titans  or  giants  in  shape ;  for  each  of  them 
had  six  arms,  and  they  fought  with  young 
firs  and  pines.  But  Heracles  killed  them 
all  before  morn  with  his  deadly  poisoned 


158  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

arrows ;  but  among  them,  in  the  darkness, 
he  slew  Cyzicus  the  kindly  prince. 

Then  they  got  to  their  ship  and  to 
their  oars,  and  Tiphys  bade  them  cast  off 
the  hawsers,  and  go  to  sea.  But  as  he 
spoke  a  whirlwind  came,  and  spun  the 
Argo  round,  and  twisted  the  hawsers 
together,  so  that  no  man  could  loose  them. 
Then  Tiphys  dropped  the  rudder  from  his 
hand,  and  cried,  "  This  comes  from  the 
Gods  above."  But  Jason  went  forward, 
and  asked  counsel  of  the  magic  bough. 

Then  the  magic  bough  spoke  and 
answered,  —  "This  is  because  you  have 
slain  Cyzicus  your  friend.  You  must 
appease  his  soul,  or  you  will  never  leave 
this  shore." 

Jason  went  back  sadly,  and  told  the 
heroes  what  he  had  heard.  And  they 
leapt  on  shore,  and  searched  till  dawn ; 
and  at  dawn  they  found  the  body,  all 
rolled  in  dust  and  blood,  among  the 
corpses  of  those  monstrous  beasts.  And 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  159 

they  wept  over  their  kind  host,  and  laid 
him  on  a  fair  bed,  and  heaped  a  huge 
mound  over  him,  and  offered  black  sheep 
at  his  tomb,  and  Orpheus  sang  a  magic 
song  to  him,  that  his  spirit  might  have 
rest.  And  then  they  held  games  at  the 
tomb,  after  the  custom  of  those  times,  and 
Jason  gave  prizes  to  each  winner.  To 
Ancseus  he  gave  a  golden  cup,  for  he 
wrestled  best  of  all;  and  to  Heracles  a 
silver  one,  for  he  was  the  strongest  of  all; 
and  to  Castor,  who  rode  best,  a  golden 
crest;  and  Poly  deuces  the  boxer  had  a 
rich  carpet,  and  to  Orpheus  for  his  song, 
a  sandal  with  golden  wings.  But  Jason 
himself  was  the  best  of  all  the  archers, 
and  the  Minuai  crowned  him  with  an  olive 
crown;  and  so,  the  songs  say,  the  soul  of 
good  Cyzicus  was  appeased,  and  the  heroes 
went  on  their  way  in  peace. 

But  when  Cyzicus's  wife  heard  that  he 
was  dead,  she  died  likewise  of  grief;  and 
her  tears  became  a  fountain  of  clear  water, 
which  flows  the  whole  year  round. 


160  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

Then  they  rowed  away,  the  songs  say, 
along  the  Mysian  shore,  and  past  the 
mouth  of  Rhindacus,  till  they  found  a 
pleasant  bay,  sheltered  by  the  long  ridges 
of  Arganthus,  and  by  high  walls  of  basalt 
rock.  And  there  they  ran  the  ship  ashore 
upon  the  yellow  sand,  and  furled  the  sail, 
and  took  the  mast  down,  and  lashed  it  in 
its  crutch.  And  next  they  let  down  the 
ladder,  and  went  ashore  to  sport  and  rest. 

And  there  Heracles  went  away  into  the 
woods,  bow  in  hand,  to  hunt  wild  deer ; 
and  Hylas  the  fair  boy  slipt  away  after 
him,  and  followed  him  by  stealth,  until  he 
lost  himself  among  the  glens,  and  sat 
down  weary  to  rest  himself  by  the  side 
of  a  lake ;  and  there  the  water  nymphs 
came  up  to  look  at  him,  and  loved  him, 
and  carried  him  down  under  the  lake  to 
be  their  playfellow,  forever  happy  and 
young.  And  Heracles  sought  for  him  in 
vain,  shouting  his  name  till  all  the  moun- 
tains rang ;  but  Hylas  never  heard  him,  far 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  161 

down  under  the  sparkling  lake.  So  while 
Heracles  wandered  searching  for  him,  a 
fair  breeze  sprang  up,  and  Heracles  was 
nowhere  to  be  found;  and  the  Argo  sailed 
away,  and  Heracles  was  left  behind,  and 
never  saw  the  noble  Phasian  stream. 

Then  the  Minuai  came  to  a  doleful  land, 
where  Amycus  the  giant  ruled,  and  cared 
nothing  for  the  laws  of  Zeus,  but  chal- 
lenged all  strangers  to  box  with  him,  and 
those  whom  he  conquered  he  slew.  But 
Polydeuces  the  boxer  struck  him  a  harder 
blow  than  he  ever  felt  before,  and  slew 
him;  and  the  Minuai  went  on  up  the 
Bosphorus,  till  they  came  to  the  city  of 
Phineus,  the  fierce  Bithynian  king;  for 
Zetes  and  Calais  bade  Jason  land  there, 
because  they  had  a  work  to  do. 

And  they  went  up  from  the  shore 
toward  the  city,  through  forests  white  with 
snow ;  and  Phineus  came  out  to  meet 
them  with  a  lean  and  woful  face,  and  said, 
"Welcome,  gallant  heroes,  to  the  land  of 


162  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

bitter  blasts,  a  land  of  cold  and  misery; 
yet  I  will  feast  you  as  best  I  can."  And 
he  led  them  in,  and  set  meat  before  them ; 
but  before  they  could  put  their  hands  to 
their  mouths,  down  came  two  fearful  mon- 
sters, the  like  of  whom  man  never  saw; 
for  they  had  the  faces  and  the  hair  of  fair 
maidens,  but  the  wings  and  claws  of 
hawks  ;  and  they  snatched  the  meat  from 
off  the  table,  and  flew  shrieking  out  above 
the  roofs. 

Then  Phineus  beat  his  breast  and  cried, 
"  These  are  the  Harpies,  whose  names  are 
the  Whirlwind  and  the  Swift,  the  daughters 
of  Wonder  and  of  the  Amber-nymph,  and 
they  rob  us  night  and  day.  They  carried 
off  the  daughters  of  Pandareus,  whom  all 
the  Gods  had  blest ;  for  Aphrodite  fed 
them  on  Olympus  with  honey  and  milk 
and  wine ;  and  Hera  gave  them  beauty 
and  wisdom,  and  Athene  skill  in  all  the 
arts ;  but  when  they  came  to  their  wed- 
ding, the  Harpies  snatched  them  both 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  163 

away,  and  gave  them  to  be  slaves  to  the 
Erinnues,  and  live  in  horror  all  their  days. 
And  now  they  haunt  me,  and  my  people, 
and  the  Bosphorus,  with  fearful  storms; 
and  sweep  away  our  food  from  off  our 
tables,  so  that  we  starve  in  spite  of  all 
our  wealth." 

Then  up  rose  Zetes  and  Calais,  the 
winged  sons  of  the  North-wind,  and  said, 
"Do  you  not  know  us,  Phineus,  and  these 
wings  which  grow  upon  our  backs?"  And 
Phineus  hid  his  face  in  terror ;  but  he 
answered  not  a  word. 

"Because  you  have  been  a  traitor, 
Phineus,  the  Harpies  haunt  you  night  and 
day.  Where  is  Cleopatra  our  sister,  your 
wife,  whom  you  keep  in  prison  ?  and  where 
are  her  two  children,  whom  you  blinded 
in  your  rage,  at  the  bidding  of  an  evil 
woman,  and  cast  them  out  upon  the 
rocks  ?  Swear  to  us  that  you  will  right 
our  sister,  and  cast  out  that  wicked 
woman ;  and  then  we  will  free  you  from 


164  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

your  plague,  and  drive  the  whirlwind 
maidens  from  the  south :  but  if  not,  we 
will  put  out  your  eyes,  as  you  put  out 
the  eyes  of  your  own  sons." 

Then  Phineus  swore  an  oath  to  them, 
and  drove  out  the  wicked  woman;  and 
Jason  took  those  two  poor  children,  and 
cured  their  eyes  with  magic  herbs. 

But  Zetes  and  Calais  rose  up  sadly,  and 
said,  "  Farewell  now,  heroes  all ;  farewell, 
our  dear  companions,  with  whom  we  played 
on  Pelion  in  old  times;  for  a  fate  is  laid 
upon  us,  and  our  day  is  come  at  last,  in 
which  we  may  hunt  the  whirlwinds,  over 
land  and  sea  forever;  and  if  we  catch 
them  they  die,  and  if  not,  we  die  our- 
selves." 

At  that  all  the  heroes  wept:  but  the 
two  young  men  sprang  up,  and  aloft  into 
the  air  after  the  Harpies,  and  the  battle 
of  the  winds  began. 

The  heroes  trembled  in  silence  as  they 
heard  the  shrieking  of  the  blasts ;  whi1  ^ 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  165 

the  palace  rocked  and  all  the  city,  and 
great  stones  were  torn  from  the  crags,  and 
the  forest-pines  were  hurled  eastward,  north 
and  south  and  east  and  west,  and  the  Bos- 
phorus  boiled  white  with  foam,  and  the 
clouds  were  dashed  against  the  cliffs. 

But  at  last  the  battle  ended,  and  the 
Harpies  fled  screaming  toward  the  south, 
and  the  sons  of  the  North-wind  rushed 
after  them,  and  brought  clear  sunshine 
where  they  passed.  For  many  a  league 
they  followed  them,  over  all  the  isles  of 
the  Cyclades,  and  away  to  the  southwest 
across  Hellas,  till  they  came  to  the  Ionian 
sea,  and  there  they  fell  upon  the  Echinades, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Achelous;  and  those 
isles  were  called  the  Whirlwind  Isles  for 
many  a  hundred  years.  But  what  became 
of  Zetes  and  Calais  I  know  not ;  for  the 
heroes  never  saw  them  again :  and  some 
say  that  Heracles  met  them,  and  quarrelled 
with  them,  and  slew  them  with  his  arrows; 
and  some  say  that  they  fell  down  from 


166  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

weariness  and  the  heat  of  the  summer  sun, 
and  that  the  Sun-god  buried  them  among 
the  Cyclades,  in  the  pleasant  Isle  of  Tenos ; 
and  for  many  hundred  years  their  grave 
was  shown  there,  and  over  it  a  pillar,  which 
turned  to  every  wind.  But  those  dark 
storms  and  whirlwinds  haunt  the  Bosphorus 
until  this  day. 

But  the  Argonauts  went  eastward,  and 
out  into  the  open  sea,  which  we  now  call 
the  Black  Sea,  but  it  was  called  the  Euxine 
then.  No  Hellen  had  ever  crossed  it,  and 
all  feared  that  dreadful  sea,  and  its  rocks, 
and  shoals,  and  fogs,  and  bitter  freezing 
storms ;  and  they  told  strange  stories  of 
it,  some  false  and  some  half  true,  how  it 
stretched  northward  to  the  ends  of  the 
earth,  and  the  sluggish  Putrid  Sea,  and  the 
everlasting  night,  and  the  regions  of  the 
dead.  So  the  heroes  trembled,  for  all  their 
courage,  as  they  came  into  that  wild  Black 
Sea,  and  saw  it  stretching  out  before  them, 
without  a  shore,  as  far  as  eye  could  see. 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  167 

And  first  Orpheus  spoke,  and  warned 
them,  — "  We  shall  come  now  to  the  wan- 
dering blue  rocks ;  my  mother  warned  me 
of  them,  Calliope,  the  immortal  muse." 

And  soon  they  saw  the  blue  rocks  shin- 
ing, like  spires  and  castles  of  grey  glass, 
while  an  ice-cold  wind  blew  from  them, 
and  chilled  all  the  heroes'  hearts.  And  as 
they  neared,  they  could  see  them  heaving, 
as  they  rolled  upon  the  long  sea-waves, 
crashing  and  grinding  together,  till  the 
roar  went  up  to  heaven.  The  sea  sprang 
up  in  spouts  between  them,  and  swept 
round  them  in  white  sheets  of  foam ;  but 
their  heads  swung  nodding  high  in  air, 
while  the  wind  whistled  shrill  among  the 
crags. 

The  heroes'  hearts  sank  within  them,  and 
they  lay  upon  their  oars  in  fear;  but  Or- 
pheus called  to  Tiphys  the  helmsman — 
k' Between  them  we  must  pass;  so  look 
ahead  for  an  opening,  and  be  brave,  for 
Hera  is  with  us."  But  Tiphys  the  cunning 


168  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

helmsman  stood  silent,  clenching  his  teeth, 
till  he  saw  a  heron  come  flying  mast-high 
toward  the  rocks,  and  hover  awhile  before 
them,  as  if  looking  for  a  passage  through. 
Then  he  cried,  "  Hera  has  sent  us  a  pilot ; 
let  us  follow  the  cunning  bird." 

Then  the  heron  flapped  to  and  fro  a 
moment,  till  he  saw  a  hidden  gap,  and  into 
it  he  rushed  like  an  arrow,  while  the  heroes 
watched  what  would  befall. 

And  the  blue  rocks  clashed  together  as 
the  bird  fled  swiftly  through;  but  they 
struck  but  a  feather  from  his  tail,  and  then 
rebounded  apart  at  the  shock. 

Then  Tiphys  cheered  the  heroes,  and  they 
shouted ;  and  the  oars  bent  like  withes 
beneath  their  strokes,  as  they  rushed  be- 
tween those  toppling  ice-crags,  and  the 
cold  blue  lips  of  death.  And  ere  the 
rocks  could  meet  again  they  had  passed 
them,  and  were  safe  out  in  the  open  sea. 

And  after  that  they  sailed  on  wearily 
along  the  Asian  coast,  by  the  Black  Cape 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  169 

and  Thyneis,  where  the  hot  stream  of 
Thymbris  falls  into  the  sea,  and  Sangarius, 
whose  waters  float  on  the  Euxine,  till  they 
came  to  Wolf  the  river,  and  to  Wolf  the 
kindly  king.  And  there  died  two  brave 
heroes,  Idmon  and  Tiphys  the  wise  helms- 
man ;  one  died  of  an  evil  sickness,  and  one 
a  wild  boar  slew.  So  the  heroes  heaped  a 
mound  above  them,  and  set  upon  it  an  oar 
on  high,  and  left  them  there  to  sleep 
together,  on  the  far-off  Lycian  shore.  But 
Idas  killed  the  boar,  and  avenged  Tiphys; 
and  Ancaios  took  the  rudder  and  was 
helmsman,  and  steered  them  on  toward  the 
east. 

And  they  went  on  past  Sinope,  and 
many  a  mighty  river's  mouth,  and  past 
many  a  barbarous  tribe,  and  the  cities  of  the 
Amazons,  the  warlike  women  of  the  East,  till 
all  night  they  heard  the  clank  of  anvils 
and  the  roar  of  furnace-blasts,  and  the 
forge-fires  shone  like  sparks  through  the 
darkness,  in  the  mountain  glens  aloft ;  for 
8 


170  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

they  were  come  to  the  shores  of  the  Cha- 
lybes,  the  smiths  who  never  tire,  but  serve 
Ares  the  cruel  War-god,  forging  weapons 
day  and  night 

And  at  day-dawn  they  looked  eastward, 
and  midway  between  the  sea  and  the  sky 
they  saw  white  snow-peaks  hanging,  glit- 
tering sharp  and  bright  above  the  clouds. 
And  they  knew  that  they  were  come  to 
Caucasus,  at  the  end  of  all  the  earth; 
Caucasus  the  highest  of  all  mountains,  the 
father  of  the  rivers  of  the  East.  On  his 
peak  lies  chained  the  Titan,  while  a  vul- 
ture tears  his  heart ;  and  at  his  feet  are 
piled  dark  forests  round  the  magic  Col- 
chian  land. 

And  they  rowed  three  days  to  the  east- 
ward, while  Caucasus  rose  higher  hour  by 
hour,  till  they  saw  the  dark  stream  of 
Phasis  rushing  headlong  to  the  sea,  and 
shining  above  the  tree-tops,  the  golden 
roofs  of  king  Aietes,  the  child  of  the  sun. 

Then  out   spoke   incaios   the    helmsman, 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  171 

"We  are  come  to  our  goal  at  last;  for 
there  are  the  roofs  of  Aietes,  and  the 
woods  where  all  poisons  grow ;  but  who 
can  tell  us  where  among  them  is  hid  the 
golden  fleece?  Many  a  toil  must  we  bear 
ere  we  find  it,  and  bring  it  home  to 
Greece." 

But  Jason  cheered  the  heroes,  for  his 
heart  was  high  and  bold ;  and  he  said,  "  I 
will  go  alone  up  to  Aietes,  though  he  be 
the  child  of  the  sun,  and  win  him  with  soft 
words.  Better  so  than  to  go  altogether, 
and  to  come  to  blows  at  once."  But  the 
Minuai  would  not  stay  behind,  so  they 
rowed  boldly  up  the  stream. 

And  a  dream  came  to  Aietes,  and  filled 
his  heart  with  fear.  He  thought  he  saw  a 
shining  star,  which  fell  into  his  daughter's 
lap;  and  that  Medeia  his  daughter  took  it 
gladly,  and  carried  it  to  the  river-side,  and 
cast  it  in,  and  there  the  whirling  river 
bore  it  down,  and  out  into  the  Euxine 
Sea. 


172  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

Then  he  leapt  up  in  fear,  and  bade  his 
servants  bring  his  chariot,  that  he  might 
go  down  to  the  river-side  and  appease  the 
nymphs,  and  the  heroes  whose  spirits 
haunt  the  bank.  So  he  went  down  in  his 
golden  chariot,  and  his  daughters  by  his 
side,  Medeia  the  fair  witch-maiden,  and 
Chalciope,  who  had  been  Phrixus's  wife, 
and  behind  him  a  crowd  of  servants  and 
soldiers,  for  he  was  a  rich  and  mighty 
prince. 

And  as  he  drove  down  by  the  reedy 
river,  he  saw  Argo  sliding  up  beneath  the 
bank,  and  many  a  hero  in  her,  like  im- 
mortals for  beauty  and  for  strength,  as 
their  weapons  glittered  round  them  in  the 
level  morning  sunlight,  through  the  white 
mist  of  the  stream.  But  Jason  was  the 
noblest  of  all ;  for  Hera  who  loved  him 
gave  him  beauty,  and  tallness,  and  terrible 
manhood. 

And  when  they  came  near  together  and 
looked  into  each  other's  eyes,  the  heroes 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  173 

were  awed  before  Aietes  as  he  shone  in 
his  chariot,  like  his  father  the  glorious 
Sun ;  for  his  robes  were  of  rich  gold  tissue, 
and  the  rays  of  his  diadem  flashed  fire ; 
and  in  his  hand  he  bore  a  jewelled  sceptre, 
which  glittered  like  the  stars ;  and  sternly 
he  looked  at  them  under  his  brows,  and 
sternly  he  spoke  and  loud  — 

"  Who  are  you,  and  what  want  you  here, 
that  you  come  to  the  shore  of  Cutaia  ? 
Do  you  take  no  account  of  my  rule,  nor 
of  my  people  the  Colchians  who  serve  me, 
who  never  tired  yet  in  the  battle,  and 
know  well  how  to  face  an  invader?" 

And  the  heroes  sat  silent  awhile  before 
the  face  of  that  ancient  king.  But  Hera 
the  awful  goddess  put  courage  into  Jason's 
heart,  and  he  rose  and  shouted  loudly  in 
answer,  "We  are  no  pirates  nor  lawless 
men.  We  come  not  to  plunder  and  to 
ravage,  or  carry  away  slaves  from  your 
land ;  but  my  uncle,  the  son  of  Poseidon, 
Pelias  the  Minuan  king,  he  it  is  who  has 


174  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

set  me  on  a  quest  to  bring  home  the 
golden  fleece.  And  these  too,  my  bold 
comrades,  they  are  no  nameless  men ;  for 
some  are  the  sons  of  immortals,  and  some 
of  heroes  far  renowned.  And  we  too  never 
tire  in  battle,  and  know  well  how  to  give 
blows  and  to  take ;  yet  we  wish  to  be 
guests  at  your  table ;  it  will  be  better  so 
for  both." 

Then  Aietes's  rage  rushed  up  like  a 
whirlwind,  and  his  eyes  flashed  fire  as  he 
heard;  but  he  crushed  his  anger  down  in 
his  breast,  and  spoke  mildly  a  cunning 
speech,  — 

"If  you  will  fight  for  the  fleece  with 
my  Colchians,  then  many  a  man  must  die. 
But  do  you  indeed  expect  to  win  from 
me  the  fleece  in  fight?  So  few  you  are, 
that  if  you  be  worsted,  I  can  load  your 
ship  with  your  corpses.  But  if  you  will 
be  ruled  by  me,  you  will  find  it  better  far 
to  choose  the  best  man  among  you,  and 
let  him  fulfil  the  labours  which  I  demand. 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  175 

Then  I  will  give  him  the  golden  fleece  for 
a  prize  and  a  glory  to  you  all." 

So  saying,  he  turned  his  horses  and 
drove  back  in  silence  to  the  town.  And 
the  Minuai  sat  silent  with  sorrow,  and 
longed  for  Heracles  and  his  strength ;  for 
there  was  no  facing  the  thousands  of  the 
Colchians,  and  the  fearful  chance  of  war. 

But  Chalciope,  Phrixus's  widow,  went 
weeping  to  the  town;  for  she  remembered 
her  Minuan  husband,  and  all  the  pleasures 
of  her  youth,  while  she  watched  the  fair 
faces  of  his  kinsmen,  and  their  long  locks 
of  golden  hair.  And  she  whispered  to 
Medeia  her  sister  — "  Why  should  all  these 
brave  men  die  ?  why  does  not  my  father 
give  them  up  the  fleece,  that  my  husband's 
spirit  may  have  rest  ? " 

And  Medeia's  heart  pitied  the  heroes, 
and  Jason  most  of  all ;  and  she  answered, 
"Our  father  is  stern  and  terrible,  and  who 
can  win  the  golden  fleece  ? "  But  Chal- 
ciope said,  "These  men  are  not  like  our 


176  THE  ARGONAUTS. 

men ;  there  is  nothing  which  they  cannot 
dare  nor  do." 

And  Medeia  thought  of  Jason  and  his 
brave  countenance,  and  said,  "If  there  was 
one  among  them  who  knew  no  fear,  I 
could  show  him  how  to  win  the  fleece." 

So  in  the  dusk  of  evening  they  went 
down  to  the  river-side,  Chalciope  and  Me- 
deia the  witch-maiden,  and  Argus,  Phrixus's 
son.  And  Argus  the  boy  crept  forward, 
among  the  beds  of  reeds,  till  he  came  where 
the  heroes  were  sleeping,  on  the  thwarts 
of  the  ship,  beneath  the  bank,  while  Jason 
kept  ward  on  shore,  and  leant  upon  his 
lance  full  of  thought.  And  the  boy  came 
to  Jason,  and  said  — 

"I  am  the  son  of  Phrixus,  your  cousin; 
and  Chalciope  my  mother  waits  for  you,  to 
talk  about  the  golden  fleece." 

Then  Jason  went  boldly  with  the  boy, 
and  found  the  two  princesses  standing; 
and  when  Chalciope  saw  him  she  wept, 
and  took  his  hands,  and  cried— 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  177 

"  0  cousin  of  my  beloved,  go  home  be- 
fore you  die!" 

"  It  would  be  base  to  go  home  now, 
fair  princess,  and  to  have  sailed  all  these 
seas  in  vain."  Then  both  the  princesses 
besought  him :  but  Jason  said,  "  It  is  too 
late." 

"  But  you  know  not,"  said  Medeia,  "  what 
he  must  do  who  would  win  the  fleece.  He 
must  tame  the  two  brazen-footed  bulls,  who 
breathe  devouring  flame ;  and  with  them 
he  must'  plough  ere  nightfall  four  acres  in 
the  field  of  Ares ;  and  he  must  sow  them 
with  serpents'  teeth,  of  which  each  tooth 
springs  up  into  an  armed  man.  Then  he 
must  fight  with  all  those  warriors;  and 
little  will  it  profit  him  to  conquer  them ; 
for  the  fleece  is  guarded  by  a  serpent, 
more  huge  than  any  mountain  pine;  and 
over  his  body  you  must  step,  if  you  would 
reach  the  golden  fleece." 

Then  Jason  laughed  bitterly.  "  Unjustly 
is  that  fleece  kept  here,  and  by  an  unjust 
8* 


178  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

and  lawless  king;  and  unjustly  shall  I  die 
in  my  youth,  for  I  will  attempt  it  ere 
another  sun  be  set." 

Then  Medeia  trembled,  and  said,  "No 
mortal  man  can  reach  that  fleece,  unless  I 
guide  him  through.  For  round  it,  beyond 
the  river,  is  a  wall  full  nine  ells  high,  with 
lofty  towers  and  buttresses,  and  mighty 
gates  of  threefold  brass;  and  over  the 
gates  the  wall  is  arched,  with  golden  bat- 
tlements above.  And  over  the  gateway 
sits  Brimo,  the  wild  witch-huntress  of  the 
woods,  brandishing  a  pine-torch  in  her 
hands,  while  her  mad  hounds  howl  around. 
No  man  dare  meet  her  or  look  on  her,  but 
only  I  her  priestess,  and  she  watches  far 
and  wide  lest  any  stranger  should  come 


near." 


"  No  wall  so  high  but  it  may  be  climbed 
at  last,  and  no  wood  so  thick  but  it  may 
be  crawled  through ;  no  serpent  so  wary 
but  he  may  be  charmed,  or  witch-queen  so 
fierce  but  spells  may  soothe  her ;  and  I 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  179 

may  yet  win  the  golden  fleece,  if  a  wise 
maiden  help  bold  men." 

And  he  looked  at  Medeia  cunningly,  and 
held  her  with  his  glittering  eye,  till  she 
blushed  and  trembled,  and  said  — 

"Who  can  face  the  fire  of  the  bulls' 
breath,  and  fight  ten  thousand  armed 
men?" 

"He  whom  you  help,"  said  Jason,  flat- 
tering her,  "for  your  fame  is  spread  over 
all  the  earth.  Are  you  not  the  queen  of 
all  enchantresses,  wiser  even  than  your  sister 
Circe,  in  her  fairy  island  in  the  West?" 

"  Would  that  I  were  with  my  sister  Circe 
in  her  fairy  island  in  the  West,  far  away 
from  sore  temptation,  and  thoughts  which 
tear  the  heart !  But  if  it  must  be  so  —  for 
why  should  you  die  ?  —  I  have  an  ointment 
here ;  I  made  it  from  the  magic  ice-flower 
which  sprang  from  Prometheus's  wound, 
above  the  clouds  on  Caucasus,  in  the  dreary 
fields  of  snow.  Anoint  yourself  with  that, 
and  you  shall  have  in  you  seven  men's 


180  THE   ARGONAUTS. 


strength;  and  anoint  your  shield  with  it, 
and  neither  fire  nor  sword  can  harm  you. 
But  what  you  begin  you  must  end  before 
sunset,  for  its  virtue  lasts  only  one  day. 
And  anoint  your  helmet  with  it  before  you 
sow  the  serpents'  teeth;  and  when  the 
sons  of  earth  spring  up,  cast  your  helmet 
among  their  ranks,  and  the  deadly  crop  of 
the  War-god's  field  will  mow  itself,  and 
perish." 

Then  Jason  fell  on  his  knees  before  her, 
and  thanked  her  and  kissed  her  hands; 
and  she  gave  him  the  vase  of  ointment, 
and  fled  trembling  through  the  reeds.  And 
Jason  told  his  comrades  what  had  happened, 
and  showed  them  the  box  of  ointment ;  and 
all  rejoiced  but  Idas,  and  he  grew  mad 
with  envy. 

And  at  sunrise  Jason  went  and  bathed, 
and  anointed  himself  from  head  to  foot, 
and  his  shield,  and  his  helmet,  and  his 
weapons,  and  bade  his  comrades  try  the 
spell.  So  they  tried  to  bend  his  lance, 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  181 

but  it  stood  like  an  iron  bar;  and  Idas  in 
spite  hewed  at  it  with  his  sword,  but  the 
blade  flew  to  splinters  in  his  face.  Then 
they  hurled  their  lances  at  his  shield,  but 
the  spear-points  turned  like  lead ;  and 
Caineus  tried  to  throw  him,  but  he  never 
stirred  a  foot ;  and  Polydeuces  struck  him 
with  his  fist,  a  blow  which  would  have 
killed  an  ox;  but  Jason  only  smiled,  and 
the  heroes  danced  about  him  with  delight; 
and  he  leapt  and  ran,  and  shouted,  in  the 
joy  of  that  enormous  strength,  till  the  sun 
rose,  and  it  was  time  to  go  and  to  claim 
Aietes's  promise. 

So  he  sent  up  Telamon  and  Aithalides 
to  tell  Aietes  that  he  was  ready  for  the 
fight ;  and  they  went  up  among  the  marble 
walls,  and  beneath  the  roofs  of  gold,  and 
stood  in  Aietes's  hall,  while  he  grew  pale 
with  rage. 

"Fulfil  your  promise  to  us,  child  of  the 
blazing  sun.  Give  us  the  serpents'  teeth, 
and  let  loose  the  fiery  bulls ;  for  we  have 


182  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

found  a  champion  among  us  who  can  win 
the  golden  fleece." 

And  Aietes  bit  his  lips,  for  he  fancied 
that  they  had  fled  away  by  night;  but  he 
could  not  go  back  from  his  promise ;  so  he 
gave  them  the  serpents'  teeth. 

Then  he  called  for  his  chariot  and  his 
horses,  and  sent  heralds  through  all  the 
town;  and  all  the  people  went  out  with 
him  to  the  dreadful  War-god's  field. 

And  there  Aietes  sat  upon  his  throne, 
with  his  warriors  on  each  hand,  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands,  clothed  from  head 
to  foot  in  steel-chain  mail.  And  the  people 
and  the  women  crowded  to  every  window, 
and  bank,  and  wall ;  while  the  Minuai 
stood  together,  a  mere  handful  in  the 
midst  of  that  great  host. 

And  Chalciope  was  there  and  Argus, 
trembling,  and  Medeia,  wrapped  closely  in 
her  veil;  but  Aietes  did  not  know  that 
she  was  muttering  cunning  spells  between 
her  lips. 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  183 

Then  Jason  cried,  "Fulfil  your  promise, 
and  let  your  fiery  bulls  come  forth." 

Then  Aietes  bade  open  the  gates,  and 
the  magic  bulls  leapt  out.  Their  brazen 
hoofs  rang  upon  the  ground,  and  their 
nostrils  sent  out  sheets  of  flame,  as  they 
rushed  with  lowered  heads  upon  Jason ; 
but  he  never  flinched  a  step.  The  flame 
of  their  breath  swept  round  him,  but  it 
singed  not  a  hair  of  his  head;  and  the 
bulls  stopped  short  and  trembled,  when 
Medeia  began  her  spell. 

Then  Jason  sprang  upon  the  nearest,  and 
seized  him  by  the  horn ;  and  up  and  down 
they  wrestled,  till  the  bull  fell  grovelling 
on  his  knees ;  for  the  heart  of  the  brute 
died  within  him,  and  his  mighty  limbs 
were  loosed,  beneath  the  steadfast  eye  of 
that  dark  witch-maiden,  and  the  magic 
whisper  of  her  lips. 

So  both  the  bulls  were  tamed  and 
yoked ;  and  Jason  bound  them  to  the 
plough,  and  goaded  them  onward  with  hig 


184  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

lance,  till  he  had  ploughed  the  sacred 
field. 

And  all  the  Minuai  shouted ;  but  Aietes 
bit  his  lips  with  rage ;  for  the  half  of 
Jason's  work  was  over,  and  the  sun  was 
yet  high  in  heaven. 

Then  he  took  the  serpents'  teeth  and 
sowed  them,  and  waited  what  would  befall. 
But  Medeia  looked  at  him  and  at  his  hel- 
met, lest  he  should  forget  the  lesson  she 
had  taught. 

And  every  furrow  heaved  and  bubbled, 
and  out  of  every  clod  rose  a  man.  Out  of 
the  earth  they  rose  by  thousands,  each 
clad  from  head  to  foot  in  steel,  and  drew 
their  swords  and  rushed  on  Jason,  where 
he  stood  in  the  midst  alone. 

Then  the  Minuai  grew  pale  with  fear 
for  him ;  but  Aietes  laughed  a  bitter  laugh. 
<'  See !  if  I  had  not  warriors  enough  already 
round  me,  I  could  call  them  out  of  the 
bosom  of  the  earth." 

But  Jason  snatched  off   his    helmet,  and 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  185 

hurled  it  into  the  thickest  of  the  throng. 
And  blind  madness  came  upon  them,  sus- 
picion, hate,  and  fear;  and  one  cried  to 
his  fellow,  "  Thou  didst  strike  me ! "  and 
another,  "  Thou  art  Jason  ;  thou  shalt 
die ! "  So  fury  seized  those  earth-born 
phantoms,  and  each  turned  his  hand  against 
the  rest ;  and  they  fought  and  were  never 
weary,  till  they  all  lay  dead  upon  the 
ground.  Then  the  magic  furrows  opened, 
and  the  kind  earth  took  them  home  into 
her  breast;  and  the  grass  grew  up  all 
green  again  above  them,  and  Jason's  work 
was  done. 

Then  the  Minuai  rose  and  shouted,  till 
Prometheus  heard  them  from  his  crag. 
And  Jason  cried  —  "  Lead  me  to  the  fleece 
this  moment,  before  the  sun  goes  down." 

But  Aietes  thought  — "  He  has  con- 
quered the  bulls;  and  sown  and  reaped 
the  deadly  crop.  Who  is  this  who  is 
proof  against  all  magic  ?  He  may  kill  the 
serpent  yet."  So  he  delayed,  and  sat 


186  THE  ARGONAUTS. 

taking  counsel  with  his  princes,  till  the 
sun  went  down  and  all  was  dark.  Then 
he  bade  a  herald  cry,  "Every  man  to  his 
home  for  to-night.  To-morrow  we  will  meet 
these  heroes,  and  speak  about  the  golden 
fleece." 

Then  he  turned  and  looked  at  Medeia : 
"  This  is  your  doing,  false  witch-maid  !  You 
have  helped  these  yellow-haired  strangers, 
and  brought  shame  upon  your  father  and 
yourself!" 

Medeia  shrank  and  trembled,  and  her 
face  grew  pale  with  fear ;  and  Aietes  knew 
that  she  was  guilty,  and  whispered,  "If 
they  win  the  fleece,  you  die!" 

But  the  Minuai  marched  toward  their 
ship,  growling  like  lions  cheated  of  their 
prey;  for  they  saw  that  Aietes  meant  to 
mock  them,  and  to  cheat  them  out  of  all 
their  toil.  And  Oileus  said,  "Let  us  go 
to  the  grove  together,  and  take  the  fleece 
by  force." 

And  Idas  the   rash  cried,   "Let  us  draw 


THE  ARGONAUTS.  187 

lots  who  shall  go  in  first ;  for  while  the 
dragon  is  devouring  one,  the  rest  can  slay 
him,  and  carry  off  the  fleece  in  peace." 
But  Jason  held  them  back,  though  he 
praised  them;  for  he  hoped  for  Medeia's 
help. 

And  after  awhile  Medeia  came  trembling, 
and  wept  a  long  while  before  she  spoke. 
And  at  last, — 

"  My  end  is  come,  and  I  must  die ;  for 
my  father  has  found  out  that  I  have  helped 
you.  You  he  would  kill  if  he  dared  ;  but 
he  will  not  harm  you,  because  you  have 
been  his  guests.  Go  then,  go,  and  remem- 
ber poor  Medeia  when  you  are  far  away 
across  the  sea."  But  all  the  heroes 
cried  — 

"  If  you  die,  we  die  with  you ;  for  with- 
out you  we  cannot  win  the  fleece,  and 
home  we  will  not  go  without  it,  but  fall 
here  fighting  to  the  last  man." 

"You  need  not  die,"  said  Jason.  "Flee 
home  with  us  across  the  sea.  Show  us 


188  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

first  how  to  win  the  fleece  ;  for  you  can 
do  it.  Why  else  are  you  the  priestess  of 
the  grove  ?  Show  us  but  how  to  win  the 
fleece,  and  come  with  us,  and  you  shall 
be  my  queen,  and  rule  over  the  rich 
princes  of  the  Minuai,  in  lolcos  by  the 
sea." 

And  all  the  heroes  pressed  round,  and 
vowed  to  her  that  she  should  be  their 
queen. 

Medeia  wept,  and  shuddered,  and  hid 
her  face  in  her  hands ;  for  her  heart 
yearned  after  her  sisters  and  her  play- 
fellows, and  the  home  where  she  was 
brought  up  as  a  child.  But  at  last  she 
looked  up  at  Jason,  and  spoke  between 
her  sobs, — 

"Must  I  leave  my  home  and  my  people, 
to  wander  with  strangers  across  the  sea  ? 
The  lot  is  cast,  and  I  must  endure  it.  I 
will  show  you  how  to  win  the  golden 
fleece.  Bring  up  your  ship  to  the  wood- 
side,  and  moor  her  there  against  the  bank* 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  189 

and  let  Jason  come  up  at  midnight,  and 
one  brave  comrade  with  him,  and  meet  me 
beneath  the  wall." 

Then  all  the  heroes  cried  together  —  "I 
will  go!"  "and  I!"  "and  I!"  And  Idas 
the  rash  grew  mad  with  envy ;  for  he 
longed  to  be  foremost  in  all  things.  But 
Medeia  calmed  them,  and  said,  "  Orpheus 
shall  go  with  Jason,  and  bring  his  magic 
harp ;  for  I  hear  of  him  that  he  is  the 
king  of  all  minstrels,  and  can  charm  all 
things  on  earth." 

And  Orpheus  laughed  for  joy,  and 
clapped  his  hands,  because  the  choice  had 
fallen  on  him ;  for  in  those  days  poets  and 
singers  were  as  bold  warriors  as  the  best. 

So  at  midnight  they  went  up  the  bank, 
and  found  Medeia ;  and  beside  came 
Absyrtus  her  young  brother,  leading  a 
yearling  lamb. 

Then  Medeia  brought  them  to  a  thicket, 
beside  the  War-gods'  gate ;  and  there  she 
bade  Jason  dig  a  ditch,  and  kill  the  lamb 


190  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

and  leave  it  there,  and  strew  on  it  magic 
herbs  and  honey  from  the  honeycomb. 

Then  sprang  up  through  the  earth,  with 
the  red  fire  flashing  before  her,  Brimo  the 
wild  witch-huntress,  while  her  mad  hounds 
howled  around.  She  had  one  head  like 
a  horse's,  and  another  like  a  ravening 
hound's,  and  another  like  a  hissing  snake's, 
and  a  sword  in  either  hand.  And  she 
leapt  into  the  ditch  with  her  hounds,  and 
they  ate  and  drank  their  fill,  while  Jason 
and  Orpheus  trembled,  and  Medeia  hid  her 
eyes.  And  at  last  the  witch-queen  van- 
ished, and  fled  with  her  hounds  into  the 
woods ;  and  the  bars  of  the  gates  fell 
down,  and  the  brazen  doors  flew  wide,  and 
Medeia  and  the  heroes  ran  forward  and 
hurried  through  the  poison  wood,  among 
the  dark  stems  of  the  mighty  beeches, 
guided  by  the  gleam  of  the  golden  fleece, 
until  they  saw  it  hanging  on  one  vast 
tree  in  the  midst.  And  Jason  would  have 
sprung  to  seize  it:  but  Medeia  held  him 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  191 

back,  and  pointed  shuddering  to  the  tree- 
foot,  where  the  mighty  serpent  lay,  coiled 
in  and  out  among  the  roots,  with  a  body 
like  a  mountain-pine.  His  coils  stretched 
many  a  fathom,  spangled  with  bronze  and 
gold ;  and  half  of  him  they  could  see, 
but  no  more;  for  the  rest  lay  in  the  dark- 
ness far  beyond. 

And  when  he  saw  them  coming,  he 
lifted  up  his  head,  and  watched  them  with 
his  small  bright  eyes,  and  flashed  his 
forked  tongue,  and  roared  like  the  fire 
among  the  woodlands,  till  the  forest  tossed 
and  groaned.  For  his  cry  shook  the  trees 
from  leaf  to  root,  and  swept  over  the  long 
reaches  of  the  river,  and  over  ^Eetes's 
hall,  and  woke  the  sleepers  in  the  city, 
till  mothers  clasped  their  children  in  their 
fear. 

But  Medeia  called  gently  to  him;  and 
he  stretched  out  his  long  spotted  neck, 
and  licked  her  hand,  and  looked  up  in 
her  face,  as  if  to  ask  for  food,  Then  she 


192  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

made  a  sign  to  Orpheus,  and  he  began 
his  magic  song. 

And  as  he  sung,  the  forest  grew  calm 
again,  and  the  leaves  on  every  tree  hung 
still;  and  the  serpent's  head  sank  down, 
and  his  brazen  coils  grew  limp,  and  his 
glittering  eyes  closed  lazily,  till  he  breathed 
as  gently  as  a  child,  while  Orpheus  called 
to  pleasant  Slumber,  who  gives  Deace  to 
men,  and  beasts,  and  waves. 

Then  Jason  leapt  forward  warily,  and 
stept  across  that  mighty  snake,  and  tore 
the  fleece  from  off  the  tree-trunk ;  and  the 
four  rushed  down  the  garden,  to  the  bank 
where  the  Argo  lay. 

There  was  a  silence  for  a  moment,  while 
Jason  held  the  golden  fleece  on  high. 
Then  he  cried  —  "Go  now,  good  Argo, 
swift  and  steady,  if  ever  you  would  see 
Pelion  more." 

And  she  went,  as  the  heroes  drove  her, 
grim  and  silent  all,  with  muffled  oars,  till 
the  pine-wood  bent  like  willow  in  their 


THE     ARGONAUTS.  193 

hands,    and    stout    Arno    groaned    beneath 
their  strokes. 

On  and  on,  beneath  the  dewy  darkness, 
they  fled  swiftly  down  the  swirling  stream ; 
underneath  black  walls,  and  temples,  and 
the  castles  of  the  princes  cf  the  East; 
past  sluice-mouths,  and  fragrant  gardens, 
and  groves  of  all  strange  fruits;  past 
marshes  where  fat  kine  lay  sleeping,  and 
long  beds  of  whispering  reeds;  till  they 
heard  the  merry  music  of  the  surge  upon 
the  bar,  as  it  tumbled  in  the  moonlight 
all  alone. 

Into  the  surge  they  rushed,  and  Argo 
leapt  the  breakers  like  a  horse;  for  she 
knew  the  time  was  come  to  show  her 
mettle,  and  win  honour  for  the  heroes  and 
herself. 

Into  the  surge  they  rushed,  and  Argo 
leapt  the  breakers  like  a  horse,  till  the 
heroes  stopped  all  panting,  each  man  upon 
his  oar,  as  she  slid  into  the  still  broad 
sea. 

9 


194  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

Then  Orpheus  took  his  harp  and  sang 
a  paean,  till  the  heroes'  hearts  rose  high 
again ;  and  they  rowed  on  stoutly  and 
steadfastly,  away  into  the  darkness  of  the 
West. 


PART  V. 

HOW    THE    ARGONAUTS     WERE     DRIVEN    INTO     THE 
UNKNOWN    SEA. 

So  they  fled  away  in  haste  to  the  west- 
ward :  but  Aietes  manned  his  fleet  and 
followed  them.  And  Lynceus  the  quick- 
eyed  saw  him  coming,  while  he  was  still 
many  a  mile  away,  and  cried,  "I  see  a 
hundred  ships,  like  a  flock  of  white  swans, 
far  in  the  east."  And  at  that  they  rowed 
hard,  like  heroes ;  but  the  ships  came 
nearer  every  hour. 

Then  Medeia,  the  dark  witch-maiden, 
laid  a  cruel  and  a  cunning  plot ;  for  she 
killed  Absyrtus  her  young  brother,  and 


196  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

cast  him  into  the  sea,  and  said,  "Ere  my 
father  can  take  up  his  corpse  and  bury  it, 
he  must  wait  long,  and  be  left  far  behind." 

And  all  the  heroes  shuddered,  and 
looked  one  at  the  other  for  shame ;  yet 
they  did  not  punish  that  dark  witch- 
woman,  because  she  had  won  for  them  the 
golden  fleece. 

And  when  Aietes  came  to  the  place,  he 
saw  the  floating  corpse  ;  and  he  stopped  a 
long  while,  and  bewailed  his  son,  and  took 
him  up,  and  went  home.  But  he  sent  on 
his  sailors  toward  the  westward,  and  bound 
them  by  a  mighty  curse :  "  Bring  back 
to  me  that  dark  witch-woman,  that  she 
may  die  a  dreadful  death.  But  if  you 
return  without  her,  you  shall  die  by  the 
same  death  yourselves." 

So  the  Argonauts  escaped  for  that  time: 
but  Father  Zeus  saw  that  foul  crime;  and 
out  of  the  heavens  he  sent  a  storm,  and 
swept  the  ship  far  from  her  course.  Day 
after  day  the  storm  drove  her,  amid  foam 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  197 

and  blinding  mist,  till  they  knew  no  longer 
where  they  were,  for  the  sun  was  blotted 
from  the  skies.  And  at  last  the  ship 
struck  on  a  shoal,  amid  low  isles  of  mud 
and  sand,  and  the  waves  rolled  over  her 
and  through  her,  and  the  heroes  lost  all 
hope  of  life. 

Then  Jason  cried  to  Hera:  "Fair  queen, 
who  hast  befriended  us  till  now,  why  hast 
thou  left  us  in  our  misery,  to  die  here 
among  unknown  seas  ?  It  is  hard  to  lose 
the  honour  which  we  have  won  with  such 
toil  and  danger,  and  hard  never  to  see 
Hellas  again,  and  the  pleasant  bay  of 
Pagasai." 

Then  out  and  spoke  the  magic  bough 
which  stood  upon  the  Argo's  beak:  "Be- 
cause Father  Zeus  is  angry,  all  this  has 
fallen  on  you;  for  a  cruel  crime  has  been 
done  on  board,  and  the  sacred  ship  is  foul 
with  blood." 

At  that  some  of  the  heroes  cried :  "  Me- 
deia  is  the  murderess.  Let  the  witch- 


198  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

woman  bear  her  sin,  and  die ! "  And  they 
seized  Medeia,  to  hurl  her  into  the  sea 
and  atone  for  the  young  boy's  death:  but 
the  magic  bough  spoke  again:  "Let  her 
live  till  her  crimes  are  full.  Vengeance 
waits  for  her,  slow  and  sure ;  but  she  must 
live,  for  you  need  her  still.  She  must 
show  you  the  way  to  her  sister  Circe, 
who  lives  among  the  islands  of  the  West. 
To  her  you  must  sail,  a  weary  way,  and 
she  shall  cleanse  you  from  your  guilt." 

Then  all  the  heroes  wept  aloud  when 
they  heard  the  sentence  of  the  oak;  for 
they  knew  that  a  dark  journey  lay  before 
them,  and  years  of  bitter  toil.  And  some 
upbraided  the  dark  witch-woman,  and  some 
said,  "Nay,  we  are  her  debtors  still;  with- 
out her  we  should  never  have  won  the 
fleece."  But  most  of.  them  bit  their  lips 
in  silence,  for  they  feared  the  witch's 
spells. 

And  now  the  sea  grew  calmer,  and  the 
sun  shone  out  once  more,  and  the  heroes 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  199 

thrust  the  ship  off  the  sand-bank,  and 
rowed  forward  on  their  weary  course, 
under  the  guiding  of  the  dark  witch- 
maiden,  into  the  wastes  of  the  unknown 
sea. 

Whither  they  went  I  cannot  tell,  nor 
how  they  came  to  Circe's  isle.  Some  say 
that  they  went  to  the  westward,  and  up 
the  Ister*  stream,  and  so  came  into  the 
Adriatic,  dragging  their  ship  over  the 
snowy  Alps.  And  others  say  that  they 
went  southward,  into  the  Red  Indian  Sea, 
and  past  the  sunny  lands  where  spices 
grow,  round  ^Ethiopia  toward  the  West; 
and  that  at  last  they  came  to  Libya, 
and  dragged  their  ship  across  the  burning 
sands,  and  over  the  hills  into  the  Syrtes, 
where  the  flats  and  quicksands  spread  for 
many  a  mile,  between  rich  Gyrene  and  the 
Lotus-eaters'  shore.  But  all  these  are  but 
dreams  and  fables,  and  dim  hints  of  un- 
known lands. 

*  The  Danube. 


200  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

But  all  say  that  they  came  to  a  place 
where  they  had  to  drag  their  ship  across 
the  land  nine  days  with  ropes  and  rollers, 
till  they  came  into  an  unknown  sea.  And 
the  best  of  all  the  old  songs  tells  us,  how 
they  went  away  toward  the  North,  till 
they  came  to  the  slope  of  Caucasus,  where 
it  sinks  into  the  sea;  and  to  the  narrow 
Cimmerian  Bosphorus,*  where  the  Titan 
swam  across  upon  the  bull;  and  thence 
into  the  lazy  waters  of  the  still  Mseotid 
lake.f  And  thence  they  went  northward 
ever,  up  the  Tanais,  which  we  call  Don, 
past  the  Geloni  and  Sauromatai,  and  many 
a  wandering  shepherd-tribe,  and  the  one- 
eyed  Arimaspi,  of  whom  old  Greek  poets 
tell,  who  steal  the  gold  from  the  Griffins, 
in  the  cold  RhiphaianJ  hills. 

And  they  passed  the  Scythian  archers, 
and  the  Tauri  who  eat  men,  and  the 
wandering  Hyperboreai,  who  feed  their 


*  Between  the  Crimaea  and  Ci 
f  The  Sea  of  Azov. 
The  Ural  Mountains ? 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  201 

flocks  beneath  the  pole-star,  until  they 
came  into  the  northern  ocean,  the  dull 
dead  Cronian  Sea.*  And  there  Argo  would 
move  on  no  longer ;  and  each  man  clasped 
his  elbow,  and  leaned  his  head  upon  his 
hand,  heart-broken  with  toil  and  hunger, 
and  gave  himself  up  to  death.  But  brave 
Ancaios  the  helmsman  cheered  up  their 
hearts  once  more,  and  bade  them  leap  on 
land,  and  haul  the  ship  with  ropes  and 
rollers  for  many  a  weary  day,  whether  over 
land,  or  mud,  or  ice,  I  know  not,  for  the 
song  is  mixed  and  broken  like  a  dream 
And  it  says  next,  how  they  came  to  the 
rich  nation  of  the  famous  long-lived  men; 
and  to  the  coast  of  the  Cimmerians,  who 
never  saw  the  sun,  buried  deep  in  the 
glens  of  the  snow  mountains;  and  to  the 
fair  land  of  Hermione,  where  dwelt  the 
most  righteous  of  all  nations;  and  to  the 
gates  of  the  world  below,  and  to  the 
dwelling-place  of  dreams. 

*  The  Baltic? 
Q* 


202  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

And  at  last  Ancaios  shouted  —  "Endure 
a  little  while,  brave  friends,  the  worst  is 
surely  past ;  for  I  can  see  the  pure  west 
wind  ruffle  the  water,  and  hear  the  roar 
of  ocean  on  the  sands.  So  raise  up  the 
mast,  and  set  the  sail,  and  face  what  comes 
like  men." 

Then  out  spoke  the  magic  bough  —  "  Ah, 
would  that  I  had  perished  long  ago,  and 
been  whelmed  by  the  dread  blue  rocks, 
beneath  the  fierce  swell  of  the  Euxine  ? 
Better  so,  than  to  wander  forever,  dis- 
graced by  the  guilt  of  my  princes ;  for  the 
blood  of  Abs^  rtus  still  tracks  me,  and  woe 
follows  hard  upon  woe.  And  now  some 
dark  horror  will  clutch  me,  if  I  come  near 
the  Isle  of  lerne.*  Unless  you  will  cling 
to  the  land,  and  sail  southward  and  south- 
ward forever,  I  shall  wander  beyond  the 
Atlantic,  to  the  ocean  which  has  no  shore." 

Then  they  blest   the   magic   bough,   and 

*  Britain  ? 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  203 

sailed  southward  along  the  land.  But  ere 
they  could  pass  lerne,  the  land  of  mists 
and  storms,  the  wild  wind  came  down,  dark 
and  roaring,  and  caught  the  sail,  and 
strained  the  ropes.  And  away  they  drove 
twelve  nights,  on  the  wide  wild  western 
sea,  through  the  foam,  and  over  the  rollers, 
while  they  saw  neither  sun  nor  stars.  And 
they  cried  again,  "We  shall  perish,  for  we 
know  not  where  we  are.  We  are  lost  in 
the  dreary  damp  darkness,  and  cannot  tell 
north  from  south." 

But  Lynceus  the  long-sighted  called  gayly 
from  the  bows  — "  Take  heart  again,  brave 
sailors;  for  I  see  a  pine-clad  isle,  and  the 
halls  of  the  kind  Earth-mother,  with  a 
crown  of  clouds  around  them." 

But  Orpheus  said,  "  Turn  from  them,  for 
no  living  man  can  land  there :  there  is  no 
harbour  on  the  coast,  but  steep-walled  cliffs 
all  round." 

So  Ancaios  turned  the  ship  away;  and 
for  three  days  more  they  sailed  on,  till 


204  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

they  came  to  Aiaia,  Circe's  home,  and  the 
fairy  island  of  the  West.* 

And  there  Jason  bid  them  land,  and 
seek  about  for  any  sign  of  living  man. 
And  as  they  went  inland,  Circe  met  them, 
coming  down  toward  the  ship ;  and  they 
trembled  when  they  saw  her;  for  her  hair, 
and  face,  and  robes,  shone  like  flame. 

And  she  came  and  looked  at  Medeia; 
and  Medeia  hid  her  face  beneath  her  veil. 

And  Circe  cried,  "Ah,  wretched  girl, 
have  you  forgotten  all  your  sins,  that  you 
come  hither  to  my  island,  where  the  flowers 
bloom  all  the  year  round?  Where  is  your 
aged  father,  and  the  brother  whom  you 
killed  ?  Little  do  I  expect  you  to  return 
in  safety  with  these  strangers  whom  you 
love.  I  will  send  you  food  and  wine:  but 
your  ship  must  not  stay  here,  for  it  is  foul 
with  sin,  and  foul  with  sin  its  crew." 

And  the  heroes  prayed  her,  but  in  vain, 
and  cried,  "  Cleanse  us  from  our  guilt ! " 

*  The  Azores  ? 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  205 

But  she  sent  them  away  and  said,  "  Go  on 
to  Malea,  and  there  you  may  be  cleansed, 
and  return  home." 

Then  a  fair  wind  rose,  and  they  sailed 
eastward,  by  Tartessus  on  the  Iberian 
shore,  till  they  came  to  the  Pillars  of 
Hercules,  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  And 
thence  they  sailed  on  through  the  deeps 
of  Sardinia,  and  past  the  Ausonian  islands, 
and  the  capes  of  the  Tyrrhenian  shore,  till 
they  came  to  a  flowery  island,  upon  a  still 
bright  summer's  eve.  And  as  they  neared 
it,  slowly  and  wearily,  they  heard  sweet 
songs  upon  the  shore.  But  when  Medeia 
heard  it,  she  started,  and  cried,  "Beware, 
all  heroes,  for  these  are  the  rocks  of  the 
Sirens.  You  must  pass  close  by  them, 
for  there  is  no  other  channel;  but  those 
who  listen  to  that  song  are  lost." 

Then  Orpheus  spoke,  the  king  of  all 
minstrels  —  "Let  them  match  their  song 
against  mine.  I  have  charmed  stones,  and 
trees,  and  dragons,  how  much  more  the 


206  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

hearts  of  man ! "  So  he  caught  up  his 
lyre,  and  stood  upon  the  poop,  and  began 
his  magic  song. 

And  now  they  could  see  the  Sirens,  on 
Anthemousa,  the  flowery  isle ;  three  fair 
maidens  sitting  on  the  beach,  beneath  a 
red  rock  in  the  setting  sun,  among  beds 
of  crimson  poppies  and  golden  asphodel. 
Slowly  they  sung  and  sleepily,  with  silver 
voices,  mild  and  clear,  which  stole  over 
the  golden  waters,  and  into  the  hearts  of 
all  the  heroes,  in  spite  of  Orpheus's  song. 

And  all  things  stayed  around  and 
listened;  the  gulls  sat  in  white  lines 
along  the  rocks ;  on  the  beach  great  seals 
lay  basking,  and  kept  time  with  lazy 
heads ;  while  silver  shoals  of  fish  came  up 
to  hearken,  and  whispered  as  they  broke 
the  shining  calm.  The  Wind  overhead 
hushed  his  whistling,  as  he  shepherded  his 
clouds  toward  the  west;  and  the  clouds 
stood  in  mid  blue,  and  listened  dreaming, 
like  a  flock  of  golden  sheep. 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  207 

And  as  the  heroes  listened,  the  oars  fell 
from  their  hands,  and  their  heads  drooped 
on  their  breasts,  and  they  closed  their 
heavy  eyes ;  and  they  dreamed  of  bright 
still  gardens,  and  of  slumbers  under  mur- 
muring pines,  till  all  their  toil  seemed 
foolishness,  and  they  thought  of  their 
renown  no  more. 

Then  one  lifted  his  head  suddenly,  and 
cried,  "  What  use  in  wandering  forever  ? 
Let  us  stay  here  and  rest  awhile."  And 
another,  "Let  us  row  to  the  shore,  and 
hear  the  words  they  sing."  And  another, 
"I  care  not  for  the  words,  but  for  the 
music.  They  shall  sing  me  to  sleep,  that 
I  may  rest." 

And  Butes,  the  son  of  Pandion,  the 
fairest  of  all  mortal  men,  leapt  out  and 
swam  toward  the  shore,  crying,  "I  come, 
I  come,  fair  maidens,  to  live  and  die  here, 
listening  to  your  song." 

Then  Medeia  clapped  her  hands  together, 
and  cried,  "Sing  louder,  Orpheus,  sing  a 


208  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

bolder  strain;  wake  up  these  hapless 
sluggards,  or  none  of  them  will  see  the 
land  of  Hellas  more." 

Then  Orpheus  lifted  his  harp,  and 
crashed  his  cunning  hand  across  the 
strings ;  and  his  music  and  his  voice  rose 
like  a  trumpet  through  the  still  evening 
air ;  into  the  air  it  rushed  like  thunder, 
till  the  rocks  rang  and  the  sea ;  and  into 
their  souls  it  rushed  like  wine,  till  all 
hearts  beat  fast  within  their  breasts. 

And  he  sung  the  song  of  Perseus,  how 
the  Gods  led  him  over  land  and  sea,  and 
how  he  slew  the  loathly  Gorgon,  and  won 
himself  a  peerless  bride ;  and  how  he  sits 
now  with  the  Gods  upon  Olympus,  a 
shining  star  in  the  sky,  immortal  with  his 
immortal  bride,  and  honoured  by  all  men 
below. 

So  Orpheus  sang,  and  the  Sirens,  answer- 
ing each  other  across  the  golden  sea,  till 
Orpheus's  voice  drowned  the  Sirens,  and 
the  heroes  caught  their  oars  again. 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  209 

And  they  cried,  "We  will  be  men  like 
Perseus,  and  we  will  dare  and  suffer  to 
the  last.  Sing  us  his  song  again,  brave 
Orpheus,  that  we  may  forget  the  Sirens 
and  their  spell." 

And  as  Orpheus  sang,  they  dashed  their 
oars  into  the  sea,  and  kept  time  to  his 
music,  as  they  fled  fast  away ;  and  the 
Sirens'  voices  died  behind  them,  in  the 
hissing  of  the  foam  along  their  wake. 

But  Butes  swam  to  the  shore,  and  knelt 
down  before  the  Sirens,  and  cried,  "Sing 
on!  sing  on!"  But  he  could  say  no 
more;  for  a  charmed  sleep  came  over  him, 
and  a  pleasant  humming  in  his  ears ;  and 
he  sank  all  along  upon  the  pebbles,  and 
forgot  all  heaven  and  earth,  and  never 
looked  at  that  sad  beach  around  him,  all 
strewn  with  the  bones  of  men. 

Then  slowly  rose  up  those  three  fair 
sisters,  with  a  cruel  smile  upon  their  lips; 
and  slowly  they  crept  down  towards  him, 
like  leopards  who  creep  upon  their  prey; 


210  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

and  their  hands  were  like  the  talons  of 
eagles,  as  they  stept  across  the  bones  of 
their  victims  to  enjoy  their  cruel  feast. 

But  fairest  Aphrodite  saw  him  from  the 
highest  Idalian  peak,  and  she  pitied  his 
youth  and  his  beauty,  and  leapt  up  from 
her  golden  throne ;  and  like  a  falling  star 
she  cleft  the  sky,  and  left  a  trail  of  glit- 
tering light,  till  she  stooped  to  the  Isle 
of  the  Sirens,  and  snatched  their  prey 
from  their  claws.  And  she  lifted  Butes 
as  he  lay  sleeping,  and  wrapt  him  in  a 
golden  mist ;  and  she  bore  him  to  the 
peak  of  Lilybaeum;  and  he  slept  there 
many  a  pleasant  year. 

But  when  the  Sirens  saw  that  they  were 
conquered,  they  shrieked  for  envy  and 
rage,  and  leapt  from  the  beach  into  the 
sea,  and  were  changed  into  rocks  until 
this  day. 

Then  they  came  to  the  straits  by  Lily- 
bseum,  and  saw  Sicily,  the  three-cornered 
island,  under  which  Enceladus  the  giant 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  211 

lies  groaning  day  and  night,  and  when  he 
turns  the  earth  quakes,  and  his  hreath 
bursts  out  in  roaring  flames  from  the 
highest  cone  of  ^tna,  above  the  chestnut 
woods.  And  there  Charybdis  caught  them 
in  its  fearful  coils  of  wave,  and  rolled 
mast-high  about  them,  and  spun  them 
round  and  round ;  and  they  could  go 
neither  back  nor  forward,  while  the  whirl- 
pool sucked  them  in. 

And  while  they  struggled  they  saw 
near  them,  on  the  other  side  the  strait,  a 
rock  stand  in  the  water,  with  a  peak  wrapt 
round  in  clouds;  a  rock  which  no  man 
could  climb,  though  he  had  twenty  hands 
and  feet,  for  the  stone  was  smooth  and 
slippery,  as  if  polished  by  man's  hand; 
and  half  way  up  a  misty  cave  looked  out 
toward  the  west. 

And  when  Orpheus  saw  it,  he  groaned, 
and  struck  his  hands  together.  And  "Little 
will  it  help  to  us,"  he  cried,  "to  escape 
the  jaws  of  the  whirlpool ;  for  in  that  cave 


212  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

lives  Scylla,  the  sea-hag  with  a  young 
whelp's  voice ;  my  mother  warned  me  of 
her  ere  we  sailed  away  from  Hellas;  she 
has  six  heads,  and  six  long  necks,  and 
hides  in  that  dark  cleft.  And  from  her  cave 
she  fishes  for  all  things  which  pass  by,  for 
sharks,  and  seals,  and  dolphins,  and  all  the 
herds  of  Amphitrite.  And  never  ship's 
crew  boasted  that  they  came  safe  by  her 
rock ;  for  she  bends  her  long  necks  down 
to  them,  and  every  mouth  takes  up  a  man. 
And  who  will  help  us  now?  For  Hera 
and  Zeus  hate  us,  and  our  ship  is  foul  with 
guilt;  so  we  must  die,  whatever  befalls." 

Then  out  of  the  depths  came  Thetis, 
Peleus's  silver-footed  bride,  for  love  of  her 
gallant  husband,  and  all  her  nymphs  around 
her ;  and  they  played  like  snow-white 
dolphins,  diving  on  from  wave  to  wave, 
before  the  ship,  and  in  her  wake,  and 
beside  her,  as  dolphins  play.  And  they 
caught  the  ship,  and  guided  her,  and  passed 
her  on  from  hand  to  hand,  and  tossed  her 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  213 

through  the  billows,  as  maidens  ross  the 
ball.  And  when  Scylla  stooped  to  seize 
her,  they  struck  back  her  ravening  heads, 
and  foul  Scylla  whined,  as  a  whelp  whines, 
at  the  touch  of  their  gentle  hands.  But 
she  shrank  into  her  cave  affrighted ;  for 
all  bad  things  shrink  from  good ;  and  Argo 
leapt  safe  past  her,  while  a  fair  breeze  rose 
behind.  Then  Thetis  and  her  nymphs  sank 
down  to  their  coral  caves  beneath  the  sea, 
and  their  gardens  of  green  and  purple, 
where  live  flowers  bloom  all  the  year 
round;  while  the  heroes  went  on  rejoicing, 
yet  dreading  what  might  come  next. 

After  that  they  rowed  on  steadily  for 
many  a  weary  day,  till  they  saw  a  long 
high  island,  and  beyond  it  a  mountain 
land.  And  they  searched  till  they  found  a 
harbour,  and  there  rowed  boldly  in.  But 
after  awhile  they  stopped,  and  wondered ; 
for  there  stood  a  great  city  on  the  shore, 
and  temples  and  walls  and  gardens,  and 
castles  high  in  air  upon  the  cliffs.  And 


214  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

on  either  side  they  saw  a  harbour,  with  a 
narrow  mouth,  but  wide  within;  and  black 
ships  without  number,  high  and  dry  upon 
the  shore. 

Then  Ancaius,  the  wise  helmsman,  spoke, 
"What  new  wonder  is  this?  I  know  all 
isles,  and  harbours,  and  the  windings  of 
all  seas ;  and  this  should  be  Corcyra,  where 
a  few  wild  goatherds  dwell.  But  whence 
come  these  new  harbours,  and  vast  works 
of  polished  stone  ?  " 

But  Jason  said,  "  They  can  be  no  savage 
people.  We  will  go  in  and  take  our 
chance." 

So  they  rowed  into  the  harbour,  among 
a  thousand  black-beaked  ships,  each  larger 
far  than  Argo,  toward  a  quay  of  polished 
stone.  And  they  wondered  at  that  mighty 
city,  with  its  roofs  of  burnished  brass,  and 
long  and  lofty  walls  of  marble,  with  strong 
palisades  above.  And  the  quays  were  full 
of  people,  merchants,  and  mariners,  and 
slaves,  going  to  and  fro  with  merchandise 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  215 

among  the  crowd  of  ships.  And  the  heroes' 
hearts  were  humbled,  and  they  looked  at 
each  other  and  said,  "  We  thought  ourselves 
a  gallant  crew  when  we  sailed  from  lolcos 
by  the  sea:  but  how  small  we  look  before 
this  city,  like  an  ant  before  a  hive  of 
bees." 

Then  the  sailors  hailed  them  roughly 
from  the  quay,  "  What  men  are  you  ?  — 
we  want  no  strangers1  here,  nor  pirates. 
We  keep  our  business  to  ourselves." 

But  Jason  answered  gently,  with  many 
a  flattering  word,  and  praised  their  city 
and  their  harbour,  and  their  fleet  of  gallant 
ships.  "  Surely  you  are  the  children  of 
Poseidon,  and  the  masters  of  the  sea ;  and 
we  are  but  poor  wandering  mariners,  worn 
out  with  thirst  and  toil.  Give  us  but  food 
and  water,  and  we  will  go  on  our  voyage 
in  peace." 

Then  the  sailors  laughed  and  answered, 
"  Stranger,  you  are  no  fool ;  you  talk  like 
an  honest  man,  and  you  shall  find  us 


216  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

honest  too.  We  are  the  children  of  Po- 
seidon, and  the  masters  of  the  sea ;  but 
come  ashore  to  us,  and  you  shall  have  the 
best  that  we  can  give." 

So  they  limped  ashore,  all  stiff  and  weary, 
with  long  ragged  beards  and  sunburnt 
cheeks,  and  garments  torn  and  weather- 
stained,  and  weapons  rusted  with  the  spray, 
while  the  sailors  laughed  at  them  (for  they 
were  rough-tongued,  though  their  hearts 
were  frank  and  kind.)  And  one  said, 
"  These  fellows  are  but  raw  sailors ;  they 
look  as  if  they  had  been  sea-sick  all  the 
day."  And  another,  "Their  legs  have 
grown  crooked  with  much  rowing,  till  they 
waddle  in  their  walk  like  ducks." 

At  that  Idas  the  rash  would  have  struck 
them ;  but  Jason  held  him  back,  till  one 
of  the  merchant  kings  spoke  to  them,  a 
tall  and  stately  man. 

"  Do  not  be  angry,  strangers ;  the  sailor 
boys  must  have  their  jest.  But  we  will 
treat  you  justly  and  kindly,  for  strangers 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  21T 

and  poor  men  come  from  God ;  and  you 
seem  no  common  sailors  by  your  strength, 
and  height,  and  weapons.  Come  up  with 
me  to  the  palace  of  Alcinous,  the  rich  sea- 
going king,  and  we  will  feast  you  well 
and  heartily ;  and  after  that  you  shall  tell 
us  your  name." 

But  Medeia  hung  back,  and  trembled, 
and  whispered  in  Jason's  ear,  "We  are 
betrayed,  and  are  going  to  our  ruin;  for  I 
see  my  countrymen  among  the  crowd  ; 
dark-eyed  Colchi  in  steel  mail-shirts,  such 
as  they  wear  in  my  father's  land." 

"It  is  too  late  to  turn,"  said  Jason. 
And  he  spoke  to  the  merchant  king  — 
"  What  country  is  this,  good  sir ;  and  what 
is  this  new-built  town  ? " 

"  This  is  the  land  of  the  Phseaces,  be- 
loved by  all  the  Immortals ;  for  they  come 
hither  and  feast  like  friends  with  us,  and 
sit  by  our  side  in  the  hall.  Hither  we 
came  from  Liburnia  to  escape  the  unright- 
eous Cyclopes ;  for  they  robbed  us,  peace- 
10 


218  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

ful  merchants,  of  our  hard-earned  wares 
and  wealth.  So  Nausithous,  the  son  of 
Poseidon,  brought  us  hither,  and  died  in 
peace ;  and  now  his  son  Alcinous  rules  us, 
and  Arete  the  wisest  of  queens." 

So  they  went  up  across  the  square,  and 
wondered  still  more  as  they  went ;  for 
along  the  .quays  lay  in  order  great  cables, 
and  yards,  and  masts,  before  the  fair  tem- 
ple of  Poseidon,  the  blue-haired  king  of 
the  seas.  ..And-,  round -the  square  worked 
the  shipwrights,  as  many  in  number  as  ants, 
twining  ropes,  and  hewing  limber,  and 
smoothing  long  yards  and  oars.  And  the 
Minuai  went  on  •  in. ..  silence  through  clean 
white  marble  streets,  till  they  .came  to  the 
hall  of  Alcinous,  and  they  wondered  then 
still  more.  For  the  lofty  palace  shone 
aloft  in  the  sun,  with  walls  of  plated  brass, 
from  the  threshold  to  the  innermost  cham- 
bej,  and  the  doors  were  of  silver  and  gold. 
And  on  each  side  of  the  doorway  sat  living 
dogs  of  gold,  who  never  grew  old  or  died, 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  219 

so  well  Hephaistus  had  made  them  in  his 
forges  in  smoking  Lemnos,  and  gave  them 
to  Alcinous  to  guard  his  gates  by  night- 
And  within,  against  the  walls,  stood  thrones 
on  either  side,  down  the  whole  length  of 
the  hall,  strewn  with  rich  glossy  shawls; 
and  on  them  the  merchant  kings  of  those 
crafty  sea-roving  Phseaces  sat  eating  and 
drinking  in  pride,  and  feasting  there  all 
the  year  round.  And  boys  of  molten  gold 
stood  each  on  a  polished  altar,  and  held 
torches  in  their  hands,  to  give  light  all 
night  to  the  guests.  And  round  the  house 
sat  fifty  maid-servants,  some  grinding  the 
meal  in  the  mill,  some  turning  the  spindle, 
some  weaving  at  the  loom,  while  their 
hands  twinkled  as  they  passed  the  shuttle, 
like  quivering  aspen  leaves. 

And  outside  before  the  palace  a  great 
garden  was  walled  round,  filled  full  of 
stately  fruit-trees,  with  olives  and  sweet 
figs,  and  pomegranates,  pears,  and  apples, 
which  bore  the  whole  year  round.  For  the 


220  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

rich  southwest  wind  fed  them,  till  peal 
grew  ripe  on  pear,  fig  on  fig,  and  grape 
on  grape,  all  the  winter  and  the  spring. 
And  at  the  further  end  gay  flower-beds 
bloomed  through  all  seasons  of  the  year ; 
and  two  fair  fountains  rose,  and  ran,  one 
through  the  garden-grounds,  and  one  be- 
neath the  palace  gate,  to  water  all  the 
town.  Such  noble  gifts  the  heavens  had 
given  to  Alcinous  the  wise. 

So  they  went  in,  and  saw  him  sitting, 
like  Poseidon,  on  his  throne,  with  his 
golden  sceptre  by  him,  in  garments  stiff 
with  gold,  and  in  his  hand  a  sculptured 
goblet,  as  he  pledged  the  merchant  kings ; 
and  beside  him  stood  Arete,  his  wise  and 
lovely  queen,  and  leaned  against  a  pillar, 
as  she  spun  her  golden  threads. 

Then  Alcinous  rose,  and  welcomed  them, 
and  bade  them  sit  and  eat ;  and  the  ser- 
vants brought  them  tables,  and  bread,  and 
meat,  and  wine. 

But   Medeia   went   on   trembling   toward 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  221 

Arete  the  fair  queen,  and  fell  at  her  knees, 
and  clasped  them,  and  cried  weeping  as 
she  knelt, — 

"  I  am  your  guest,  fair  queen,  and  I 
entreat  you  by  Zeus  from  whom  prayers 
come.  Do  not  send  me  back  to  my  father, 
to  die  some  dreadful  death ;  but  let  me 
go  my  way,  and  bear  my  burden.  Have 
I  not  had  enough  of  punishment  and 
shame  ?" 

u  Who  are  you,  strange  maiden  ?  and 
what  is  the  meaning  of  your  prayer?" 

"  I  am  Medeia,  daughter  of  Aietes,  and 
I  saw  my  countrymen  here  to-day ;  and  I 
know  that  they  are  come  to  find  me,  and 
take  me  home  to  die  some  dreadful 
death." 

Then  Arete  frowned,  and  said  —  "Lead 
this  girl  in,  my  maidens  ;  and  let  the 
kings  decide,  not  I." 

And  Alcinous  leapt  up  from  his  throne, 
and  cried,  "  Speak,  strangers,  who  are 
you  ?  And  who  is  this  maiden  ?" 


222  TH  E  .ARGONAUTS. 

"  We  are  the  heroes  of  the  Minuai," 
said  Jason;  "and  this  maiden  has  spoken 
truth.  We  are  the  men  who  took  the 
golden  fleece,  the  men  whose  fame  has  run 
round  every  shore.  We  came  hither  out 
of  the  ocean,  after  sorrows  such  as  man 
never  saw  before.  We  went  out  many, 
and  come  back  few,  for  many  a  noble 
comrade  have  we  lost.  So  let  us  go,  as 
you  should  let  your  guests  go,  in  peace , 
that  the  world  may  say,  '  Alcinous  is  a 
just  king/  " 

But  Alcinous  frowned,  and  stood  deep  in 
thought ;  and  at  last  he  spoke  — 

"Had  not  the  deed  been  done,  which  is 
done,  I  should  have  said  this  day  to  my- 
self, '  It  is  an  honour  to  Alcinous,  and  to 
his  children  after  him,  that  the  far-famed 
Argonauts  are  his  guests.'  But  these  Col- 
chi  are  my  guests,  as  you  are ;  and  for 
this  month  they  have  waited  here  with  all 
their  fleet ;  for  they  have  hunted  all  the 
seas  of  Hellas,  and  could  not  find  you,  and 
dared  neither  go  further,  nor  go  home." 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  228 

"Let  them  choose  out  their  champions, 
and  we  will  fight  them,  man  for  man."; 

"No  guest  of  ours  shall  fight  upon  our 
island  ;  and  if  you  go  outside,  they  will  out- 
number you.  I  will  do  justice  between  you ; 
for  I  know  and  do  what  is  right."  ..:., ./;•; 

Then  he  turned  to  his  kings,  and  said : 
"  This  may  stand  over  till  to-morrow.  To- 
night we  will  feast  our  guests,  and  hear  the 
story  of  all  their  wanderings,  and  how  they 
came  hither  out  of  the  ocean." 

So  Alcinous  bade  the  servants  take  the 
heroes  in,  and  bathe  them,  and  give  them 
clothes.  And  they  were  glad  when  they 
saw  the  warm  water,  for  it  was  long  since 
they  had  bathed.  And  they  washed  off  the 
sea-salt  from  their  limbs,  and  anointed  them- 
selves from  head  to  foot  with  oil,  and  combed 
out  their  golden  hair.  Then  they  came 
back  again  into  the  hall,  while  the  merchant* 
kings  rose  up  to  do  them  honour.  And  each 
man  said  to  his  neighbour :  "  No  wonder 
that  these  men  won  fame.  How  they  stand 


224  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

now  like  Giants,  or  Titans,  or  Immortals 
come  down  from  Olympus,  though  many  a 
winter  has  worn  them,  and  many  a  fearful 
storm.  What  must  they  have  been  when 
they  sailed  from  lolcos,  in  the  bloom  of  their 
youth,  long  ago?" 

Then  they  went  out  to  the  garden;  and 
the  merchant-princes  said  :  "  Heroes,  run 
races  with  us.  Let  us  see  whose  feet  are 
nimblest." 

"We  cannot  race  against  you,  for  our 
limbs  are  stiff  from  sea ;  and  we  have  lost 
our  two  swift  comrades,  the  sons  of  the  north 
wind.  But  do  not  think  us  cowards  :  if  you 
wish  to  try  our  strength,  we  will  shoot,  and 
box,  and  wrestle,  against  any  men  on  earth." 

And  Alcinous  smiled,  and  answered  :  "  I 
believe  you,  gallant  guests ;  with  your  long 
limbs  and. broad  shoulders,  we  could  never 
match  you  here.  For  we  care  nothing  here 
for  boxing,  or  for  shooting  with  the  bow  : 
but  for  feasts,  and  songs,  and  harping,  and 
dancing,  and  running  races,  to  stretch  our 
limbs  on  shore," 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  225 

So  they  danced  there  and  ran  races,  the 
jolly  merchant  kings,  till  the  night  fell,  and 
all  went  in. 

And  then  they  ate  and  drank,  and  com- 
forted their  weary  souls,  till  Alcinous  called 
a  herald,  and  bade  him  go  and  fetch  the 
harper. 

The  herald  went  out,  and  fetched  the 
harper,  and  led  him  in  by  the  hand;  and 
Alcinous  cut  him  a  piece  of  meat  from  the 
fattest  of  the  haunch,  and  sent  it  to  him, 
and  said  :  "  Sing  to  us,  noble  harper,  and 
rejoice  the  heroes'  hearts." 

So  the  harper  played  and  sang,  while 
the  dancers  danced  strange  figures  ;  and 
after  that  the  tumblers  showed  their  tricks, 
till  the  heroes  laughed  again. 

Then, "  Tell  me,  heroes,"  asked  Alcinous, 
"  you  who  have  sailed  the  ocean  round,  and 
seen  the  manners  of  all  nations,  have  you 
seen  such  dancers  as  ours  here  ?  or  heard 
such  music  and  such  singing?  We  hold 
ours  to  be  the  best  on  earth." 
10* 


226  THE  ARGONAUTS. 

"  Such  dancing  we  have  never  seen,"  said 
Orpheus  ;  "  and  your  singer  is  a  happy  man ; 
for  Phoebus  himself  must  have  taught  him, 
or  else  he  is  the  son  of  a  Muse ;  as  I  am 
also,  and  have  sung  once  or  twice,  though 
not  so  well  as  he." 

"Sing  to  us,  then,  noble  stranger,"  said 
Alcinous ;  "  and  we  will  give  you  precious 
gifts." 

So  Orpheus  took  his  magic  harp,  and 
sang  to  them  a  stirring  song  of  their  voyage 
from  lolcos,  and  their  dangers,  and  how  they 
won  the  golden  fleece  ;  and  of  Medeia's 
love,  and  how  she  helped  them,  and  went 
with  them  over  land  and  sea ;  and  of  all 
their  fearful  dangers,  from  monsters,  and 
rocks,  and  storms,  till  the  heart  of  Arete  was 
softened,  and  all  the  women  wept.  And  the 
merchant  kings  rose  up,  each  man  from  off 
his  golden  throne,  and  clapped  their  hands, 
and  shouted :  "  Hail  to  the  noble  Argonauts, 
who  sailed  the  unknown  sea ! " 

Then  he  went  on,  and  told  their  journey 


THE  ARGONAUTS.  227 

over  the  sluggish  northern  main,  and  through 
the  shoreless  outer  ocean,  to  the  fairy  island 
of  the  west ;  and  of  the  Sirens,  and  Scylla, 
and  Charybdis,  and  all  the  wonders  they 
had  seen,  till  midnight  passed,  and  the  day 
dawned;  but  the  kings  never  thought  of 
sleep.  Each  man  sat  still  and  listened, 
with  his  chin  upon  his  hand. 

And  at  last  when  Orpheus  had  ended, 
they  all  went  thoughtful  out,  and  the  heroes 
lay  down  to  sleep,  beneath  the  sounding 
porch  outside,  where  Arete  had  strewn  them 
rugs  and  carpets,  in  the  sweet  still  summer 
night. 

But  Arete  pleaded  hard  with  her  husband 
for  Medeia,  for  her  heart  was  softened.  And 
she  said:  "  The  Gods  will  punish  her,  not 
we.  After  all,  she  is  our  guest  and  my 
suppliant,  and  prayers  are  the  daughters 
of  Zeus.  And  who,  too,  dare  part  man 
and  wife,  after  all  they  have  endured  to- 
gether?" 

And   Alcinous   smiled.     "  The    minstrel's 


228  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

song  has  charmed  yon  ;  but  I  must  remem- 
ber what  is  right ;  for  songs  cannot  alter 
justice  ;  and  I  must  be  faithful  to  my  name. 
Alcinous  I  am  called,  the  man  of  sturdy 
sense,  and  Alcinous  I  will  be."  But  for 
all  that,  Arete  besought  him,  until  she  won 
him  round. 

So  next  morning  he  sent  a  herald,  and 
called  the  kings  into  the  square,  and  said ; 
"  This  is  a  puzzling  matter ;  remember  but 
one  thing.  These  Minuai  live  close  by  us, 
and  we  may  meet  them  often  on  the  seas ; 
but  Aietes  lives  afar  off,  and  we  have  only 
heard  his  name.  Which,  then,  of  the  two 
is  it  safer  to  offend,  the  men  near  us,  or  the 
men  far  off?" 

The  princes  laughed,  and  praised  his 
wisdom ;  and  Alcinous  called  the  heroes 
to  the  square,  and  the  Colchi  also ;  and 
they  came  and  stood  opposite  each  other  : 
but  Medeia  stayed  in  the  palace.  Then 
Alcinous  spoke,  —  "Heroes  of  the  Colchi, 
what  is  your  errand  about  this  lady  ?" 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  229 

"To  carry  her  home  with  us,  that  she 
may  die  a  shameful  death:  but  if  we 
return  without  her,  we  must  die  the  death 
she  should  have  died." 

"  What  say  you  to  this,  Jason  the 
JSolid?"  said  Alcinous,  turning  to  the 
Minuai. 

"I  say,"  said  the  cunning  Jason,  "that 
they  are  come  here  on  a  bootless  errand. 
Do  you  think  that  you  can  make  her 
follow  you,  heroes  of  the  Colchi  ?  her,  who 
knows  all  spells  and  charms?  She  will 
cast  away  your  ships  on  quicksands,  or 
call  down  on  you  Brimo  the  wild  hun- 
tress; or  the  chains  will  fall  from  off  her 
wrists,  and  she  will  escape  in  her  dragon- 
car:  or  if  not  thus,  some  other  way;  for 
she  has  a  thousand  plans  and  wiles.  And 
why  return  home  at  all,  brave  heroes,  and 
face  the  long  seas  again,  and  the  Bos- 
phorus,  and  the  stormy  Euxine,  and  double 
all  your  toil?  There  is  many  a  fair  land 
round  these  coasts,  which  waits  for  gallant 


230  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

men  like  you.  Better  to  settle  there,  and 
build  a  city,  and  let  Aietes  and  Colchis 
help  themselves." 

Then  a  murmur  rose  among  the  Colchi, 
and  some  cried,  "He  has  spoken  well;'' 
and  some,  "We  have  had  enough  of 
roving,  we  will  sail  the  seas  no  more ! " 
And  the  chief  said  at  last,  "Be  it  so, 
then;  a  plague  she  has  been  to  us,  and  a 
plague  to  the  house  of  her  father,  and  a 
plague  she  will  be  to  you.  Take  her, 
since  you  are  no  wiser ;  and  we  will  sail 
away  toward  the  north." 

Then  Alcinous  gave  them  food,  and 
water,  and  garments,  and  rich  presents  of 
all  sorts;  and  he  gave  the  same  to  the 
Minuai,  and  sent  them  all  away  in  peace. 

So  Jason  kept  the  dark  witch-maiden 
to  breed  him  woe  and  shame :  and  the 
Colchi  went  northward  into  the  Adriatic, 
and  settled,  and  built  towns  along  the 
shore. 

Then    the    heroes    rowed    away    to    the 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  231 

eastward,  to  reach  Hellas  their  beloved 
land  ;  but  a  storm  came  down  upon  them, 
and  swept  them  far  away  toward  the 
south.  And  they  rowed  till  they  were 
spent  with  struggling,  through  the  dark- 
ness and  the  blinding  rain,  but  where  they 
were  they  could  not  tell,  and  they  gave 
up  all  hope  of  life.  And  at  last  they 
touched  the  ground,  and  when  daylight 
came  they  waded  to  the  shore ;  and  saw 
nothing  round  but  sand,  and  desolate  salt 
pools ;  for  they  had  come  to  the  quick- 
sands of  the  Syrtis,  and  the  dreary  tree- 
less flats,  which  lie  between  Numidia  and 
Cyrene,  on  the  burning  shore  of  Africa. 
And  there  they  wandered  starving  for 
many  a  weary  day,  ere  they  could  launch 
their  ship  again,  and  gain  the  open  sea. 
And  there  Canthus  was  killed  while  he 
was  trying  to  drive  off  sheep,  by  a  stone 
which  a  herdsman  threw. 

And    there    too    Mopsus    died,   the    seer 
who  knew  the  voices  of  all  birds :   but  he 


232  THE     ARGONAUTS. 

could  not  foretell  his  own  end,  for  he  was 
bitten  in  the  foot  by  a  snake,  one  of  those 
which  sprang  from  the  Gorgon's  head  when 
Perseus  carried  it  across  the  sands. 

At  last  they  rowed  away  toward  the 
northward,  for  many  a  weary  day,  till 
their  water  was  spent,  and  their  food 
eaten ;  and  they  were  worn  out  with 
hunger  and  thirst.  But  at  last  they  saw 
a  long  steep  island,  and  a  blue  peak  high 
among  the  clouds ;  and  they  knew  it  for 
the  peak  of  Ida,  and  the  famous  land  o£ 
Crete.  And  they  said,  "We  will  land  in 
Crete,  and  see  Minos  the  just  king,  and 
all  his  glory  and  his  wealth;  at  least  he 
will  treat  us  hospitably,  and  let  us  fill  our 
water-casks  upon  the  shore." 

But  when  they  came  nearer  to  the 
island  they  saw  a  wondrous  sight  upon 
the  cliffs.  For  on  a  cape  to  the  westward 
stood  a  giant,  taller  than  any  mountain 
pine ;  who  glittered  aloft  against  the  sky 
like  a  tower  of  burnished  brass.  He 


THE    ARGONAUTS. 

turned  and  looked  on  all  sides  round  him, 
till  he  saw  the  Argo  and  her  crew ;  and 
when  he  saw  them  he  came  toward  them, 
more  swiftly  than  the  swiftest  horse,  leap- 
ing across  the  glens  at  a  bound,  and 
striding  at  one  step  from  down  to  down. 
And  when  he  came  abreast  of  them  he 
brandished  his  arms  up  and  down,  as  a 
ship  hoists  and  lowers  her  yards,  and 
shouted  with  his  brazen  throat  like  a 
trumpet  from  off  the  hills  —  "You  are 
pirates,  you  are  robbers!  If  you  dare 
land  here,  you  die." 

Then  the  heroes  cried,  "We  are  no 
pirates.  We  are  all  good  men  and  true ; 
and  all  we  ask  is  food  and  water:"  but 
the  Giant  cried  the  more  — 

"  You  are  robbers,  you  are  pirates  all ; 
I  know  you;  and  if  you  land,  you  shall 
die  the  death." 

Then  he  waved  his  arms  again  as  a 
signal,  and  they  saw  the  people  flying 
inland,  driving  their  flocks  before  them, 


234  THE    ARGONAUTS, 

while  a  great  flame  arose  among  the  hills. 
Then  the  giant  ran  up  a  valley  and  van- 
ished; and  the  heroes  lay  on  their  oars  in 
fear. 

But  Medeia  stood  watching  all,  from 
under  her  steep  black  brows,  with  a  cun- 
ning smile  upon  her  lips,  and  a  cunning 
plot  within  her  heart.  At  last  she  spoke; 
"I  know  this  giant.  I  heard  of  him  in 
the  East.  Hephaistos  the  Fire  King  made 
him,  in  his  forge  in  ^Etna  beneath  the 
earth,  and  called  him  Talos,  and  gave  him 
to  Minos  for  a  servant,  to  guard  the  coast 
of  Crete.  Thrice  a  day  tie  walks  round 
the  island,  and  never  stops  to  sleep ;  and 
if  strangers  land  he  leaps  into  his  fur- 
nace, which  flames  there  among  the  hills ; 
and  when  he  is  red-hot  he  rushes  on  them, 
and  burns  them  in  his  brazen  hands." 

Then  all  the  heroes  cried,  "  What  shall 
we  do,  wise  Medeia  ?  We  must  have  water, 
or  we  die  of  thirst.  Flesh  and  blood  we 
can  face  fairly ;  but  who  can  face  this  red- 
hot  brass?" 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  235 

"I  can  face  red-hot  brass,  if  the  tale  I 
hear  be  true.  For  they  say  that  he  has 
but  one  vein  in  all  his  body,  filled  with 
liquid  fire ;  and  that  this  vein  is  closed 
with  a  nail ;  but  I  know  not  where  that 
nail  is  placed.  But  if  I  can  get  it  once 
into  these  hands,  you  shall  water  your  ship 
here  in  peace." 

Then  she  bade  them  put  her  on  shore, 
and  row  off  again,  and  wait  what  would 
befall. 

And  the  heroes  obeyed  her  unwillingly ; 
for  they  were  ashamed  to  leave  her  so 
alone ;  but  Jason  said,  "  She  is  dearer  to 
me  than  to  any  of  you,  yet  I  will  trust 
her  freely  on  shore ;  she  has  more  plots 
than  we  can  dream  of,  in  the  windings  of 
that  fair  and  cunning  head." 

So  they  left  the  witch-maiden  on  the 
shore ;  and  she  stood  there  in  her  beauty 
all  alone,  till  the  giant  strode  back  red-hot 
from  head  to  heel,  while  the  grass  hissed 
and  smoked  beneath  his  tread. 


236  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

And  when  he  saw  the  maiden  alone,  he 
stopped  ;  and  she  looked  boldly  up  into  his 
face  without  moving,  and  began  her  magic 
song :  — 

"  Life  is  short,  though  life  is  sweet ;  and 
even  men  of  brass  and  fire  must  die.  The 
brass  must  rust,  the  fire  must  cool,  for  time 
gnaws  all  things  in  their  turn.  Life  is 
short,  though  life  is  sweet;  but  sweeter  to 
live  forever ;  sweeter  to  live  ever  youthful 
like  the  Gods,  who  have  ichor  in  their 
veins ;  ichor  which  gives  life,  and  youth, 
and  joy,  and  a  bounding  heart." 

Then  Talus  said,  "Who  are  you,  strange 
maiden  ;  and  where  is  this  ichor  of  }  outh  ?  " 

Then  Medeia  held  up  a  flask  of  crystal, 
and  said,  "  Here  is  the  ichor  of  youth.  I 
am  Medeia  the  enchantress ;  my  sister  Circe 
gave  me  this,  and  said,  '  Go  and  reward 
Talus  the  faithful  servant,  for  his  fame  is 
gone  out  into  all  lands/  So  come,  and  I 
will  pour  this  into  your  veins,  that  you 
may  live  forever  young." 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  237 

And  he  listened  to  her  false  words,  that 
simple  Talus,  and  canie  near ;  and  Medeia 
said,  "Dip  yourself  in  the  sea  first,  and 
cool  yourself,  lest  you  burn  my  tender 
hands ;  then  show  me  where  the  nail  in 
your  vein  is,  that  I  may  pour  the  ichor 


in." 


Then  that  simple  Talus  dipped  himself 
in  the  sea,  till  it  hissed,  and  roared,  and 
smoked ;  and  came  and  knelt  before  Medeia, 
and  showed  her  the  secret  nail. 

And  she  drew  the  nail  out  gently ;  but 
she  poured  no  ichor  in ;  and  instead  the 
liquid  fire  spouted  forth,  like  a  stream  of 
red-hot  iron.  And  Talus  tried  to  leap  up- 
crying,  "  You  have  betrayed  me,  false 
witch-maiden!"  But  she  lifted  up  her 
hands  before  him,  and  sang,  till  he  sank 
beneath  her  spell.  And  as  he  sank,  his 
brazen  limbs  clanked  heavily,  and  the 
earth  groaned  beneath  his  weight ;  and  the 
liquid  fire  ran  from  his  heel,  like  a  stream 
of  lava  to  the  sea;  and  Medeia  laughed, 


238  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

and  called  to  the  heroes,  "  Come  ashore, 
and  water  your  ship  in  peace." 

So  they  came,  and  found  the  giant  lying 
dead  ;  and  they  fell  down,  and  kissed 
Medeia's  feet ;  and  watered  their  ship,  and 
took  sheep  and  oxen,  and  so  left  that  in- 
hospitable shore. 

At  last,  after  many  more  adventures, 
they  came  to  the  Cape  of  Malea,  at  the 
southwest  point  of  the  Peloponnese.  And 
there  they  offered  sacrifices,  and  Orpheus 
purged  them  from  their  guilt.  Then  they 
rowed  away  again  to  the  northward,  past 
the  Laconian  shore,  and  came  all  worn  and 
tired  by  Sunium,  and  up  the  long  Euboean 
Strait,  until  they  saw  once  more  Pelion, 
and  Aphetai,  and  lolcos  by  the  sea. 

And  they  ran  the  ship  ashore;  but  they 
had  no  strength  left  to  haul  her  up  the 
beach;  and  they  crawled  out  on  the  peb- 
bles, and  sat  down,  and  wept  till  they 
could  weep  no  more.  For  the  houses  and 
the  trees  were  all  altered ;  and  all  the 


THE   ARGONAUTS.  239 

faces  which  they  saw  were  strange ;  and 
their  joy  was  swallowed  up  in  sorrow, 
while  they  thought  of  their  youth,  and  all 
their  labour,  and  the  gallant  comrades  they 
had  lost. 

And  the  people  crowded  round,  and  asked 
them,  "  Who  are  you,  that  you  sit  weeping 
here?" 

"We  are  the  sons ^ of  your  princes,  who 
sailed  out  many  a  year  ago.  We  went  to 
fetch  the  golden  fleece  ;  and  we  have 
brought  it,  and  grief  therewith.  Give 
us  news  of  our  fathers  and  our  mothers, 
if  any  of  them  be  left  alive  on  earth." 

Then  there  was  shouting  and  laughing, 
and  weeping;  and  all  the  kings  came  to 
the  shore,  and  they  led  away  the  heroes  to 
their  homes,  and  bewailed  the  valiant  dead. 

Then  Jason  went  up  with  Medeia  to  the 
palace  of  his  uncle  Pelias.  And  when  he 
came  in,  Pelias  sat  by  the  hearth,  crippled 
and  blind  with  age ;  while  opposite  him  sat 
JEson?  Jason's  father,  crippled  and  blind 


240  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

likewise  ;  and  the  two  old  men's  heads 
shook  together,  as  they  tried  to  warm 
themselves  before  the  fire. 

And  Jason  fell  down  at  his  father's 
knees,  and  wept,  and  called  him  by  his 
name.  And  the  old  man  stretched  his 
hands  out,  and  felt  him,  and  said,  "  Do  not 
mock  me,  young  hero.  My  son  Jason  is 
dead  long  ago  at  sea." 

"  I  am  your  own  son  Jason,  whom  you 
trusted  to  the  Centaur  upon  Pelion ;  and 
I  have  brought  home  the  golden  fleece, 
and  a  princess  of  the  Sun's  race  for  my 
bride.  So  now  give  me  up  the  kingdom, 
Pelias  my  uncle,  and  fulfil  your  promise 
as  I  have  fulfilled  mine." 

Then  his  father  clung  to  him  like  a 
child,  and  wept,  and  would  not  let  him 
go ;  and  cried,  "  Now  I  shall  not  go  down 
lonely  to  my  grave.  Promise  me  never  to 
leave  me  till  I  die." 


PART   VI. 

WHAT    WAS    THE    END    OF    THE    HEROES. 

AND  now  I  wish  that  I  could  end  my  story 
pleasantly ;  but  it  is  no  fault  of  mine  that 
I  cannot.  The  old  songs  end  it  sadly,  and 
I  believe  that  they  are  right  and  wise ; 
for  though  the  heroes  were  purified  at 
Malea,  yet  sacrifices  cannot  make  bad 
hearts  good,  and  Jason  had  taken  a  wicked 
wife,  and  he  had  to  bear  his  burden  to 
the  last. 

And  first  she  laid  a  cunning  plot,  to 
punish  that  poor  old  Pelias,  instead  of 
letting  him  die  in  peace. 

For  she  told  his  daughters,  "  I  can  make 
11 


242  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

old  things  young  again ;  I  will  show  you 
how  easy  it  is  to  do."  So  she  took  an 
old  ram  and  killed  him,  and  put  him  in  a 
cauldron  with  magic  herbs  ;  and  whispered 
her  spells  over  him,  and  he  leapt  out 
again  a  young  lamb.  So  that  "  Medeia's 
cauldron"  is  a  proverb  still,  by  which  we 
mean  times  of  war  and  change,  when  the 
world  has  become  old  and  feeble,  and 
grows  young  again  through  bitter  pains. 

Then  she  said  to  Pelias's  daughters,  "Do 
to  your  father  as  I  did  to  this  ram,  and 
he  will  grow  young  and  strong  again." 
But  she  only  told  them  half  the  spell ;  so 
they  failed,  while  Medeia  mocked  them; 
and  poor  old  Pelias  died,  and  his  daugh- 
ters came  to  misery.  But  the  songs  say 
she  cured  jiEson,  Jason's  father,  and  he 
became  young  and  strong  again. 

But  Jason  could  not  love  her,  after 
all  her  cruel  deeds.  So  he  was  ungrate- 
ful to  her,  and  wronged  her :  and  she 
revenged  herself  on  him.  And  a  terrible 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  243 

revenge  she  took  —  too  terrible  to  speak 
of  here.  But  you  will  hear  of  it  your- 
selves when  you  grow  up,  for  it  has 
been  sung  in  noble  poety  and  music ; 
and  whether  it  be  true  or  not,  it  stands 
forever  as  a  warning  to  us,  not  to  seek 
for  help  from  evil  persons,  or  to  gain 
good  ends  by  evil  means.  For  if  we 
use  an  adder  even  against  our  enemies, 
it  will  turn  again  and  sting  us. 

But  of  all  the  other  heroes  there  is 
many  a  brave  tale  left,  which  I  have 
no  space  to  tell  you,  so  you  must  read 
them  for  yourselves ;  —  of  the  hunting 
of  the  boar  in  Calydon,  which  Meleager 
killed;  and  of  Heracles's  twelve  famous 
labours ;  and  of  the  seven  who  fought  at 
Thebes ;  and  of  the  noble  love  of  Castor 
and  Polydeuces,  the  twin  Dioscouroi;  how 
when  one  died,  the  other  would  not  live 
without  him,  so  they  shared  their  immor- 
tality between  them ;  and  Zeus  changed 
them  into  the  two  twin  stars,  which 
never  rise  both  at  once. 


244  THE   ARGONAUTS. 

And  what  became  of  Cheiron,  the  good 
immortal  beast?  That  too  is  a  sad  story; 
for  the  heroes  never  saw  him  more.  He 
was  wounded  by  a  poisoned  arrow,  at 
Pholoe  among  the  hills,  when  Heracles 
opened  the  fatal  wine-jar,  which  Cheiron 
had  warned  him  not  to  touch.  And  the 
Centaurs  smelt  the  wine,  and  flocked  to 
it,  and  fought  for  it  with  Heracles:  but 
he  killed  them  all  with  his  poisoned 
arrows,  and  Cheiron  was  left  alone.  Then 
Cheiron  took  up  one  of  the  arrows,  and 
dropped  it  by  chance  upon  his  foot ;  and 
the  poison  ran  like  fire  along  his  veins, 
and  he  lay  down,  and  longed  to  die ; 
and  cried,  "  Through  wine  I  perish,  the 
bane  of  all  my  race.  Why  should  I  live 
forever  in  this  agony?  Who  will  take 
my  immortality  that  I  may  die  ? " 

Then  Prometheus  answered,  the  good 
Titan,  whom  Heracles  had  set  free  from 
Caucasus,  "  I  will  take  your  immortality 
and  live  forever,  that  I  may  help  poor 


THE    ARGONAUTS.  245 

mortal  men."  So  Cheiron  gave  him  his 
immortality,  and  died,  and  had  rest  from 
pain.  And  Heracles  and  Prometheus  wept 
over  him,  and  went  to  bury  him  on 
Pelion  :  but  Zeus  took  him  up  among  the 
stars,  to  live  forever,  grand  and  mild,  low 
down  in  the  far  southern  sky. 

And  in  time  the  heroes  died,  all  but 
Nestor  the  silver-tongued  old  man ;  and 
left  behind  them  valiant  sons,  but  not  so 
great  as  they  had  been.  Yet  their  fame, 
too,  lives  till  this  day;  for  they  fought  at 
the  ten  years'  siege  of  Troy ;  and  their 
story  is  in  the  book  which  we  call  Homer, 
in  two  of  the  noblest  songs  on  earth ;  the 
Iliad,  which  tells  us  of  the  siege  of  Troy, 
and  Achilles's  quarrel  with  the  kings:  and 
the  Odyssey,  which  tells  the  wanderings 
of  Odysseus,  through  many  lands  for  many 
years ;  and  how  Alcinous  sent  him  home 
at  last,  safe  to  Ithaca  his  beloved  island, 
and  to  Penelope  his  faithful  wife,  and 
Telemachus  his  son,  and  Euphorbus  the 


246  THE    ARGONAUTS. 

noble  swineherd,  and  the  old  dog  who 
licked  his  hand  and  died.  We  will  read 
that  sweet  story,  children,  by  the  fire  some 
winter  night.  And  now  I  will  end  iny 
tale,  and  begin  another  and  a  more  cheer- 
ful one,  of  a  hero  who  became  a  worthy 
king,  and  won  his  people's  love. 


STOKt  IIL-THESEU& 


STORY  IIL-THESEUS. 

PART    I. 

HOW    THESEUS    LIFTED    THE    STONE. 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  princess 
in  Troezene,  Aithra,  the  daughter  of  Pit- 
theus  the  king.  She  had  one  fair  son, 
named  Theseus,  the  bravest  lad  in  all  the 
land;  and  Aithra  never  smiled  but  when 
she  looked  at  him,  for  her  husband  had 
forgotten  her,  and  lived  far  away.  And 
she  used  to  go  up  to  the  mountain  above 
Troezene,  to  the  temple  of  Poseidon,  and 
sit  there  all  day  looking  out  across  the 
bay,  over  Methana,  to  the  purple  peaks 
of  JSgina,  and  the  Attic  shore  beyond 


252  THESEUS. 

And  when  Theseus  was  full  fifteen  years 
old,  she  took  him  up  with  her  to  the 
temple,  and  into  the  thickets  of  the  grove 
which  grew  in  the  temple-yard.  And  she 
led  him  to  a  tall  plane-tree,  beneath  whose 
shade  grew  arbutus,  and  lentisk,  and 
purple  heather-bushes.  And  there  •  she 
sighed,  and  said,  "Theseus,  my  son,  go 
into  that  thicket,  and  you  will  find  at  the 
plane-tree  foot  a  great  flat  stone ;  lift  it, 
and  bring  me  what  lies  underneath." 

Then  Theseus  pushed  his  way  in  through 
the  thick  bushes,  and  saw  that  they  had 
not  been  moved  for  many  a  year.  And 
searching  among  their  roots  he  found  a 
great  flat  stone,  all  overgrown  with  ivy, 
and  acanthus,  and  moss.  He  tried  to  lift 
it,  but  he  could  not.  And  he  tried  till 
the  sweat  ran  down  his  brow  from  heat, 
and  the  tears  from  his  eyes  for  shame : 
but  all  was  of  no  avail.  And  at  last  he 
came  back  to  his  mother,  and  said,  "  I 
have  found  the  stone,  but  I  cannot  lift  it; 


THESEUS.  253 

nor  do  I  think  that  any  man  could  in  all 
Troezene." 

Then  she  sighed,  and  said,  "The  Gods 
wait  long;  but  they  are  just  at  last.  Let 
it  he  for  another  year.  The  day  may 
come  when  you  will  be  a  stronger  man 
than  lives  in  all  Troezene." 

Then  she  took  him  by  the  hand,  and 
went  into  the  temple  and  prayed,  and 
came  down  again  with  Theseus  to  her 
home. 

And  when  a  full  year  was  past,  she  led 
Theseus  up  again  to  the  temple,  and  bade 
him  lift  the  stone :  but  he  could  not. 

Then  she  sighed,  and  said  the  same 
words  again,  and  went  down,  and  came 
again  the  next  year;  but  Theseus  could 
not  lift  the  stone  then,  nor  the  year  after ; 
and  he  longed  to  ask  his  mother  the 
meaning  of  that  stone,  and  what  might 
lie  underneath  it;  but  her  face  was  so 
sad,  that  he  had  not  the  heart  to  ask. 

So  he   said  to  himself?  "The  day  shall 


254  THESEUS. 

surely  come  when  I  will  lift  that  stone, 
though  no  man  in  Troezene  can."  And  in 
order  to  grow  strong  he  spent  all  his  days 
in  wrestling,  and  boxing,  and  hurling,  and 
taming  horses,  and  hunting  the  boar  and 
the  bull,  and  coursing  goats  and  deer 
among  the  rocks;  till  upon  all  the  moun- 
tains there  was  no  hunter  so  swift  as 
Theseus,  and  he  killed  Phaia,  the  wild  sow 
of  Crommuon,  which  wasted  all  the  land ; 
till  all  the  people  said,  "Surely  the  Gods 
are  with  the  lad." 

And  when  his  eighteenth  year  was  past> 
Aithra  led  him  up  again  to  the  temple, 
and  said,  "  Theseus,  lift  the  stone  this  day. 
or  never  know  who  you  are."  And  Theseus 
went  into  the  thicket,  and  stood  over  the 
stone,  and  tugged  at  it ;  and  it  moved. 
Then  his  spirit  swelled  within  him,  and  he 
said,  "  If  I  break  my  heart  in  my  body,  it 
shall  up."  And  he  tugged  at  it  once  more, 
and  lifted  it,  and  rolled  it  over  with  a 
shout. 


THESEUS.  255 

And  when  he  looked  beneath  it,  on  the 
ground  lay  a  sword  of  bronze,  with  a  hilt 
of  glittering  gold,  and  by  it  a  pair  of 
golden  sandals ;  and  he  caught  them  up, 
and  burst  through  the  bushes  like  a  wild 
boar,  and  leapt  to  his  mother,  holding  them 
high  above  his  head. 

But  when  she  saw  them  she  wept  long 
in  silence,  hiding  her  fair  face  in  her  shawl ; 
and  Theseus  stood  by  her  wondering,  and 
wept  also,  he  knew  not  why.  And  when 
she  was  tired  of  weeping,  she  lifted  up 
her  head,  and  laid  her  finger  on  her  lips, 
and  said,  "Hide  them  in  your  bosom, 
Theseus  my  son,  and  come  with  me  where 
we  can  look  down  upon  the  sea." 

Then  they  went  outside  the  sacred  wall, 
and  looked  down  over  the  bright  blue  sea ; 
and  Aithra  said, — 

"Do  you  see  this  land  at  our  feet?" 

And  he  said,  "  Yes,  this  is  Troezene, 
where  I  was  born  and  bred." 

And  she  said,  "It  is  but  a   little   land, 


256  THESEUS. 

barren  and  rocky,  and  looks  toward  the 
bleak  northeast.  Do  you  see  that  land 
beyond?" 

"  Yes,  that  is  Attica,  where  the  Athenian 
people  dwell." 

"  That  is  a  fair  land  and  large,  Theseus, 
my  son ;  and  it  looks  toward  the  sunny 
south ;  a  land  of  olive-oil  and  honey,  •  the 
joy  of  Gods  and  men.  For  the  Gods  have 
girdled  it  with  mountains,  whose  veins  are 
of  pure  silver,  and  their  bones  of  marble 
white  as  snow;  and  there  the  hills  are 
sweet  with  thyme  and  basil,  and  the  mead- 
ows with  violet  and  asphodel,  and  the 
nightingales  sing  all  day  in  the  thickets, 
by  the  side  of  ever-flowing  streams.  There 
are  twelve  towns  well  peopled,  the  homes 
of  an  ancient  race,  the  children  of  Kekrops 
the  serpent-king,  the  son  of  Mother  Earth' 
who  wear  gold  cicalas  among  the  tresses 
of  their  golden  hair;  for  like  the  cicalas 
they  sprang  from  the  earth,  and  like  the 
cicalas  they  sing  all  day,  rejoicing  in  the 


THESEUS.  257 

genial  sun.  What  would  you  do,  son 
Theseus,  if  you  were  king  of  such  a 
land?" 

Then  Theseus  stood  astonished,  as  he 
looked  across  the  broad  bright  sea,  and 
saw  the  fair  Attic  shore,  from  Sunium  to 
Hymettus  and  Pentelicus,  and  all  the  moun- 
tain peaks  which  girdle  Athens  round. 
But  Athens  itself  he  could  not  see,  for 
purple  jEgina  stood  before  it,  midway 
across  the  sea. 

Then  his  heart  grew  great  within  him 
and  he  said,  "If  I  were  king  of  such  a 
land,  I  would  rule  it  wisely  and  well  in 
wisdom  and  in  might,  that  when  I  died 
all  men  might  weep  over  my  tomb,  and 
cry,  'Alas  for  the  shepherd  of  his  people  ! ' " 

And  Aithra  smiled,  and  said,  "Take, 
then,  the  sword  and  the  sandals,  and  go  to 
^Egeus  king  of  Athens,  who  lives  on  Pal- 
las's  hill;  and  say  to  him,  '  The  stone  is 
lifted,  but  whose  is  the  pledge  beneath 
it  ? '  Then  show  him  the  sword  and  the 


258  THESEUS. 

sandals,  and  take  what  the  Gods  shall 
send." 

But  Theseus  wept  —  "Shall  I  leave  you, 
0  my  mother?" 

But  she  answered,  "  Weep  not  for  me. 
That  which  is  fated  must  be;  and  grief  is 
easy  to  those  who  do  naught  but  grieve. 
Full  of  sorrow  was  my  youth,  and  full  of 
sorrow  my  womanhood.  Full  of  sorrow 
was  my  youth  for  Bellerophon  the  slayer 
of  the  Chimsera,  whom  my  father  drove 
away  by  treason;  and  full  of  sorrow  my 
womanhood,  for  thy  treacherous  father  and 
for  thee;  and  full  of  sorrow  my  old  age 
will  be  (for  I  see  my  fate  in  dreams,)  when 
the  sons  of  the  Swan  shall  carry  me  cap- 
tive to  the  hollow  vale  of  Eurotas,  till  I 
sail  across  .the  seas  a  slave,  the  handmaid 
of  the  pest  of  Greece.  Yet  shall  I  be 
avenged,  when  the  golden-haired  heroes 
sail  against  Troy,  and  sack  the  palaces  of 
Ilium ;  then  my  son  shall  set  me  free  from 
thraldom,  and  I  shall  hear  the  tale  of 


THESEUS.  259 

Theseus's  fame.  Yet  beyond  that  I  see 
new  sorrows ;  but  I  can  bear  them  as  I 
have  borne  the  past." 

Then  she  kissed  Theseus,  and  wept  over 
him ;  and  went  into  the  temple,  and  Theseus 
saw  her  no  more. 


PART  IL 

HOW  THESEUS  SLEW  THE  DEVOURERS  OF  MEN. 

So  Theseus  stood  there  alone,  with  his 
mind  full  of  many  hopes.  And  first,  he 
thought  of  going  down  to  the  harbour  and 
hiring  a  swift  ship,  and  sailing  across  the 
bay  to  Athens ;  but  even  that  seemed  too 
slow  for  him,  and  he  longed  for  wings  to 
fly  across  the  sea,  and  find  his  father.  But 
after  a  while  his  heart  began  to  fail  him ; 
and  he  sighed,  and  said  within  himself - 

"  What  if  my  father  have  other  sons  about 
him,  whom  he  loves  ?  What  if  he  will  not 
receive  me?  And  what  have  I  done  that 
he  should  receive  me  ?  He  has  forgotten 


THESEUS.  261 

me  ever  since  I  was  born :  why  should  he 
welcome  me  now?" 

Then  he  thought  a  long  while  sadly; 
and  at  the  last  he  cried  aloud,  "Yes!  I 
will  make  him  love  me;  for  I  will  prove 
myself  worthy  of  his  love.  I  will  win 
honour  and  renown,  and  do  such  deeds  that 
^Egeus  shall  be  proud  of  me,  though  he 
had  fifty  other  sons !  Did  not  Heracles 
win  himself  honour  though  he  was  opprest, 
and  the  slave  of  Eurystheus?  Did  he  not 
kill  all  robbers  and  evil  beasts,  and  drain 
great  lakes  and  marshes,  breaking  the  hills 
through  with  his  club  ?  Therefore  it  was 
that  all  men  honoured  him,  because  he  rid 
them  of  their  miseries,  and  made  life  pleas- 
ant to  them  and  their  children  after  them. 
Where  can  I  go,  to  do  as  Heracles  has 
done?  Where  can  I  find  strange  adven- 
tures, robbers,  and  monsters,  and  the 
children  of  hell,  the  enemies  of  men  ?  I 
will  go  by  land,  and  into  the  mountains, 
and  round  by  the  way  of  the  Isthmus. 


262  TIIESEUS. 

Perhaps  there  I  may  hear  of  brave  adven- 
tures, and  do  something  which  shall  win 
my  father's  love." 

So  he  went  by  land,  and  away  into  the 
mountains,  with  his  father's  sword  upon  his 
thigh,  till  he  came  to  the  Spider  mountains, 
which  hang  over  Epidaurus  and  the  sea, 
where  the  glens  run  downward  from  one 
peak  in  the  midst,  as  the  rays  spread  in 
a  spider's  web. 

And  he  went  up  into  the  gloomy  glens, 
between  the  furrowed  marble  walls,  till  the 
lowland  grew  blue  beneath  his  feet,  and 
the  clouds  drove  damp  about  his  head. 

But  he  went  up  and  up  forever,  through 
the  spider's  web  of  glens,  till  he  could  see 
the  narrow  gulfs  spread  below  him,  north 
and  south,  and  east  and  west ;  black  cracks 
half-choked  with  mists,  and  above  all  a 
dreary  down. 

But  over  that  down  he  must  go,  for 
there  was  no  road  right  or  left;  so  he 
toiled  on  through  bog  and  brake,  till  he 
came  to  a  pile  of  stones. 


THESEUS.  263 

And  on  the  stones  a  man  was  sitting, 
wrapt  in  a  bear-skin  cloak.  The  head  of  the 
bear  served  him  for  a  cap,  and  its  teeth 
grinned  white  around  his  brows;  and  the 
feet  were  tied  about  his  throat,  and  their 
claws  shone  white  upon  his  chest.  And 
when  he  saw  Theseus  he  rose,  and  laughed 
till  the  glens  rattled. 

"And  who  art  thou,  fair  fly,  who  hast 
walked  into  the  spider's  web?"  But 
Theseus  walked  on  steadily,  and  made 
no  answer :  but  he  thought,  "  Is  this  some 
robber  ?  and  has  an  adventure  come  already 
to  me?"  But  the  strange  man  laughed 
louder  than  ever,  and  said, — 

"Bold  fly,  know  you  not  that  these 
glens  are  the  web  from  which  no  fly  ever 
finds  his  way  out  again,  and  this  down 
the  spider's  house,  and  I  the  spider  who 
suck  the  flies?  Come  hither,  and  let  me 
feast  upon  you ;  for  it  is  of  no  use  to  run 
away;  so  cunning  a  web  has  my  father 
Hephaistos  spread  for  me,  when  he  made 


264  THESEUS. 

these  clefts  in  the  mountains,  through  which 
no  man  finds  his  way  home." 

But  Theseus  came  on  steadily,  and 
asked,  — 

"And  what  is  your  name  among  men, 
bold  spider?  and  where  are  your  spider's 
fangs?" 

Then  the  strange  man  laughed  again, — 

"My  name  is  Periphetes,  the  son  of 
Hephaistos  and  Anticleia  the  mountain 
nymph.  But  men  call  me  Corynetes  the 
club-bearer;  and  here  is  my  spider's  tang." 

And  he  lifted  from  off  the  stones  at  his 
side  a  mighty  club  of  bronze. 

"  This  my  father  gave  me,  and  forged  it 
himself  in  the  roots  of  the  mountain ;  and 
with  it  I  pound  all  proud  flies  till  they 
give  out  their  fatness  and  their  sweetness. 
So  give  me  up  that  gay  sword  of  yours, 
and  your  mantle,  and  your  golden  sandals, 
lest  I  pound  you,  and  by  ill  luck  you 
die." 

But  Theseus  wrapt  his  mantle  round  his 


THESEUS.  265 

left  arm  quickly,  in  hard  folds,  from  his 
shoulder  to  his  hand,  and  drew  his  sword, 
and  rushed  upon  the  club-bearer,  and  the 
club-bearer  rushed  on  him. 

Thrice  he  struck  at  Theseus,  and  made 
him  bend  under  the  blows  like  a  sapling ; 
but  Theseus  guarded  his  head  with  his  left 
arm,  and  the  mantle  which  was  wrapped 
around  it. 

And  thrice  Theseus  sprang  upright  after 
the  blow,  like  a  sapling  when  the  storm  is 
past;  and  he  stabbed  at  the  club-bearer 
with  his  sword,  but  the  loose  folds  of  the 
bear-skin  saved  him. 

Then  Theseus  grew  mad,  and  closed 
with  him,  and  caught  him  by  the  throat, 
and  they  fell  and  rolled  over  together: 
but  when  Theseus  rose  up  from  the  ground, 
the  club-bearer  lay  still  at  his  feet. 

Then    Theseus    took    his    club    and    his 

bear-skin,  and   left   him    to    the    kites   and 

crows,    and    went    upon    his  journey  down 

the    glens    on    the    further    slope,    till    he 

12 


266  THESEUS. 

came  to  a  broad  green  valley,  and  saw 
flocks  and  herds  sleeping  beneath  the 
trees. 

And  by  the  side  of  a  pleasant  fountain, 
under  the  shade  of  rocks  and  trees,  were 
nymphs  and  shepherds  dancing ;  but  no 
one  piped  to  them  while  they  danced. 

And  when  they  saw  Theseus  they 
shrieked ;  and  the  shepherds  ran  off,  and 
drove  away  their  flocks ;  while  the  nymphs 
dived  into  the  fountain  like  coots,  and 
vanished. 

Theseus  wondered  and  laughed :  "  What 
strange  fancies  have  folks  here  who  run 
away  from  strangers,  and  have  no  music 
when  they  dance ! "  But  he  was  tired, 
and  dusty,  and  thirsty ;  so  he  thought  no 
more  of  them,  but  drank  and  bathed  in 
the  clear  pool,  and  then  lay  down  in  the 
shade  under  a  plane-tree,  while  the  water 
sang  him  to  sleep,  as  it  tinkled  down  from 
stone  to  stone. 

And    when   he  woke,  he    heard   a  whis- 


THESEUS.  267 

pering,  and  saw  the  nymphs  peeping  at 
him  across  the  fountain  from  the  dark 
mouth  of  a  cave,  where  they  sat  on  green 
cushions  of  moss.  And  one  said,  "  Surely 
he  is  not  Periphetes  ; "  and  another,  "  He 
looks  like  no  robber,  but  a  fair  and  gentle 
youth." 

Then  Theseus  smiled,  and  called  them, 
"  Fair  nymphs,  I  am  not  Periphetes.  He 
sleeps  among  the  kites  and  crows:  but  I 
have  brought  away  his  bear-skin  and  his 
club." 

Then  they  leapt  across  the  pool,  and 
came  to  him,  and  called  the  shepherds 
back.  And  he  told  them  how  he  had 
slain  the  club-bearer:  and  the  shepherds 
kissed  his  feet,  and  sang,  "Now  we  shall 
feed  our  flocks  in  peace,  and  not  be  afraid 
to  have  music  when  we  dance ;  for  the 
cruel  club-bearer  has  met  his  match,  and 
he  will  listen  for  our  pipes  no  more." 

Then  they  brought  him  kid's  flesh  and 
wine,  and  the  nymphs  brought  him  honey 


208  THESEUS. 

from  the  rocks ;  and  he  ate,  and  drank, 
und  slept  again,  while  the  nymphs  and 
shepherds  danced  and  sang.  And  when 
ne  woke,  they  begged  him  to  stay;  but 
he  would  not.  "I  have  a  great  work  to 
do,"  he  said;  "I  must  be  away  toward 
the  Isthmus,  that  I  may  go  to  Athens." 

But  the  shepherds  said,  "  Will  you  go 
alone  toward  Athens  ?  None  travel  that 
way  now,  except  in  armed  troops." 

"As  for  arms,  I  have  enough,  as  you 
see.  And  as  for  troops,  an  honest  man  is 
good  enough  company  for  himself.  Why 
should  1  not  go  alone  toward  Athens?" 

"  If  you  do,  you  must  look  warily  about 
you  on  the  Isthmus,  lest  you  meet  Sinis 
the  robber,  whom  men  call  Pituocamptes 
the  pine-bender;  for  he  bends  down  two 
pine-trees,  and  binds  all  travellers  hand 
and  foot  between  them;  and  when  he  lets 
the  trees  go  again,  their  bodies  are  torn 
in  sunder." 

"And    after    that,"    said    another,    "you 


THESEUS.  269 

must  go  inland,  and  not  dare  to  pass  over 
the  cliffs  of  Sciron ;  for  on  the  left  hand 
are  the  mountains,  and  on  the  right  the 
sea,  so  that  you  have  no  escape,  but  must 
needs  meet  Sciron  the  robber,  who  will 
make  you  wash  his  feet ;  and  while  you 
are  washing  them  he  will  kick  you  over 
the  cliff,  to  the  tortoise  who  lives  below, 
and  feeds  upon  the  bodies  of  the  dead." 

And  before  Theseus  could  answer,  another 
cried,  "And  after  that  is  a  worse  danger 
still,  unless  you  go  inland  always,  and 
leave  Eleusis  far  on  your  right.  For  in 
Eleusis  rules  Kerkuon  the  cruel  king,  the 
terror  of  all  mortals,  who  killed  his  own 
daughter  Alope  in  prison.  But  she  was 
changed  into  a  fair  fountain ;  and  her 
child  he  cast  out  upon  the  mountains;  but 
the  wild  mares  gave  it  milk.  And  now 
he  challenges  all  comers  to  wrestle  with 
him;  for  he  is  the  best  wrestler  in  all 
Attica,  and  overthrows  all  who  come :  and 
those  whom  he  overthrows  he  murders 


270  THESEUS. 

miserably,  and  his  palace-court  is  full  of 
their  bones." 

Then  Theseus  frowned,  and  said,  "  This 
seems  indeed  an  ill-ruled  land,  and  adven- 
tures enough  in  it  to  be  tried.  But  if  I 
am  the  heir  of  it,  I  will  rule  it  and  right 
it,  and  here  is  my  royal  sceptre."  And 
he  shook  his  club  of  bronze,  while  the 
nymphs  and  shepherds  clung  round  him, 
and  entreated  him  not  to  go. 

But  on  he  went,  nevertheless,  till  he 
could  see  both  the  seas,  and  the  citadel 
of  Corinth  towering  high  above  all  the 
land.  And  he  past  swiftly  along  the 
Isthmus,  for  his  heart  burned  to  meet  that 
cruel  Sinis ;  and  in  a  pine-wood  at  last  he 
met  him,  where  the  Isthmus  was  narrowest 
and  the  road  ran  between  high  rocks. 
There  he  sat  upon  a  stone  by  the  way- 
side, with  a  young  fir-tree  for  a  club 
across  his  knees,  and  a  cord  laid  ready 
by  his  side ;  and  over  his  head,  upon 
the  fir-tops,  hung  the  bones  of  murdered 
men. 


THESEUS.  271 

Then  Theseus  shouted  to  him,  "Holla, 
thou  valiant  pine-bender,  hast  thou  two 
fir-trees  left  for  me  ? " 

And  Sinis  leapt  to  his  feet,  and 
answered,  pointing  to  the  bones  above 
his  head,  "My  larder  has  grown  empty 
lately,  so  I  have  two  fir-trees  ready  for 
thee."  And  he  rushed  on  Theseus,  lifting 
his  club,  and  Theseus  rushed  upon  him. 

Then  they  hammered  together  till  the 
greenwoods  rang  :  but  the  metal  was 
tougher  than  the  pine ;  and  Sinis's  club 
broke  right  across,  as  the  bronze  came 
down  upon  it.  Then  Theseus  heaved  up 
another  mighty  stroke,  and  smote  Sinis 
down  upon  his  face ;  and  knelt  upon  his 
back,  and  bound  him  with  his  own  cord, 
and  said,  "As  thou  hast  done  to  others, 
so  shall  it  be  done  to  thee."  Then  he 
bent  down  two  young  fir-trees,  and  bound 
Sinis  between  them,  for  all  his  struggling 
and  his  prayers;  and  let  them  go,  and 
ended  Sinis,  and  went  on,  leaving  him  to 
the  hawks  and  crows. 


272  THESEUS. 

Then  he  went  over  the  hills  toward 
Megara,  keeping  close  along  the  Saronic 
Sea,  till  he  came  to  the  cliffs  of  Sciron, 
and  the  narrow  path  between  the  mountain 
and  the  sea. 

And  there  he  saw  Sciron  sitting  by  a 
fountain,  at  the  edge  of  the  cliff.  On  his 
knees  was  a  mighty  club  ;  and  he  had 
barred  the  path  with  stones,  so  that  every 
one  must  stop  who  came  up. 

Then  Theseus  shouted  to  him,  and  said, 
"  Holla,  thou  tortoise-feeder,  do  thy  feet 
need  washing  to-day?" 

And  Sciron  leapt  to  his  feet  and  an- 
swered — 

"My  tortoise  is  empty  and  hungry,  and 
my  feet  need  washing  to-day."  And  he 
stood  before  his  barrier,  and  lifted  up  his 
club  in  both  hands. 

Then  Theseus  rushed  upon  him ;  and 
sore  was  the  battle  upon  the  cliff;  for 
when  Sciron  felt  the  weight  of  the  bronze 
club,  he  dropt  his  own,  and  closed  with 


THESEUS. 

Theseus,  and  tried  to  hurl  him  by  main 
force  over  the  cliff.  But  Theseus  was  a 
wary  wrestler,  and  dropt  his  own  club, 
and  caught  him  by  the  throat  and  by  the 
knee,  and  forced  him  back  against  the  wall 
of  stones,  and  crushed  him  up  against  them, 
till  his  breath  was  almost  gone.  And 
Sciron  cried  panting,  "  Loose  me,  and  I 
will  let  thee  pass."  But  Theseus  answered, 
"I  must  not  pass  till  I  have  made  the 
rough  way  smooth;"  and  he  forced  him 
back  against  the  wall  till  it  fell,  and 
Sciron  rolled  head  over  heels. 

Then  Theseus  lifted  him  up  all  bruised, 
and  said,  "Come  hither  and  wash  my 
feet."  And  he  drew  his  sword,  and  sat 
down  by  the  well,  and  said,  "  Wash  my 
feet,  or  I  cut  you  piecemeal." 

And  Sciron  washed  his  feet  trembling ; 
and  when  it  was  done,  Theseus  rose  and 
cried,  "As  thou  hast  done  to  others^  so 
shall  it  be  done  to  thee,  Go  feed  thy  tor- 


274  THESEUS. 

toise  thyself;"  and  he  kicked  him  ovei 
the  cliff  into  the  sea. 

And  whether  the  tortoise  ate  him,  I  know 
not;  for  some  say  that  earth  and  sea  both 
disdained  to  take  his  body,  so  foul  it  was 
with  sin.  So  the  sea  cast  it  out  upon  the 
shore,  and  the  shore  cast  it  back  into  the 
sea,  and  at  last  the  waves  hurled  it  high 
into  the  air  in  anger ;  and  it  hung  there 
long  without  a  grave,  till  it  was  changed 
into  a  desolate  rock,  which  stands  there  in 
the  surge  until  this  day. 

This  at  least  is  true,  which  Pausanias 
tells,  that  in  the  royal  porch  at  Athens  he 
saw  the  figure  of  Theseus  modelled  in  clay, 
and  by  him  Sciron  the  robber,  falling  head- 
long into  the  sea. 

Then  he  went  a  long  day's  journey,  past 
Megara,  into  the  Attic  land,  and  high  be- 
fore him  rose  the  snow-peaks  of  Cithseron, 
all  cold  above  the  black  pine-woods,  where 
haunt  the  Furies,  and  the  raving  Bacchae, 
and  the  nymphs  who  drive  men  wild,  far 


THESEUS.  275 

aloft  upon  the  dreary  mountains,  where 
the  storms  howl  all  day  long.  And  on 
his  right  hand  was  the  sea  always,  and- 
Salamis,  with  its  island  cliffs,  and  the 
sacred  strait  of  the  sea-fight,  where  after- 
wards the  Persians  fled  before  the  Greeks. 
So  he  went  all  day  until  the  evening,  till 
he  saw  the  Thriasian  plain,  and  the  sacred 
city  of  Eleusis,  where  the  Earth-mother's 
Temple  stands.  For  there  she  met  Trip 
tolemus,  when  all  the  land  lay  waste, 
Demeter  the  kind  Earth-mother,  and  in 
her  hands  a  sheaf  of  corn.  And  she 
taught  him  to  plough  the  fallows,  and  to 
yoke  the  lazy  kine  ;  and  she  taught  him 
to  sow  the  seed-fields,  and  to  reap  the 
golden  grain;  and  sent  him  forth  to  teach 
all  nations,  and  give  corn  to  labouring 
men.  So  at  Eleusis  all  men  honour  her, 
whosoever  tills  the  land;  her  and  Trip- 
tolemus  her  beloved,  who  gave  corn  to 
labouring  men. 

And    he    went    along    the     plain    into 


276  THESEUS. 

Eleusis,  and  stood  in  the  market-place,  and 
cried,  — 

"Where  is  Kerkuon  the  king  of  the 
city?  I  must  wrestle  a  fall  with  him  to- 
day." 

Then  all  the  people  crowded  round  him, 
and  cried,  "Fair  youth,  why  will  you  die? 
Hasten  out  of  the  city,  before  the  cruel 
king  hears  that  a  stranger  is  here." 

But  Theseus  went  up  through  the  town, 
while  the  people  wept  and  prayed,  and 
through  the  gates  of  the  palace  yard,  and 
through  the  piles  of  bones  and  skulls,  till 
he  came  to  the  door  of  Kerkuon's  hall,  the 
terror  of  all  mortal  men. 

And  there  he  saw  Kerkuon  sitting  at 
the  table  in  the  hall  alone;  and  before  him 
was  a  whole  sheep  roasted,  and  beside  him 
a  whole  jar  of  wine.  And  Theseus  stood 
and  called  him,  "  Holla,  thou  valiant 
wrestler,  wilt  thou  wrestle  a  fall  to-day?" 

And  Kerkuon  looked  up  and  laughed, 
and  answered,  "  I  will  wrestle  a  fall  to-day  > 


THESEUS.  277 

but  come  in,  for  I  am  lonely  and  thou 
weary,  and  eat  and  drink  before  thou  die." 

Then  Theseus  went  up  boldly,  and  sat 
down  before  Kerkuon  aU  the  board ;  and 
he  ate  his  fill  of  the  sheep's  flesh,  and 
drank  his  fill  of  the  wine ;  and  Theseus 
ate  enough  for  three  men,  but  Kerkuon 
ate  enough  for  seven. 

But  neither  spoke  a  word  to  the  other, 
though  they  looked  across  the  table  by 
stealth;  and  each  said  in  his  heart,  "He 
has  broad  shoulders ;  but  I  trust  mine  are 
as  broad  as  his." 

At  last,  when  the  sheep  was  eaten,  and 
the  jar  of  wine  drained  dry,  King  Ker- 
kuon rose,  and  cried,  "  Let  us  wrestle  a 
fall  before  we  sleep." 

So  they  tossed  off  all  their  garments, 
and  went  forth  into  the  palace-yard ;  and 
Kerkuon  toade  strew  fresh  sand  in  an 
open  space  between  the  bones.  And 
there  the  heroes  stood  face  to  face,  while 
their  eyes  glared  like  wild  bulls' ;  and 


278  THESEUS. 

all  the  people  crowded  at  the  gates,  to 
see  what  would  befall. 

And  there  they  stood  and  wrestled,  till 
the  stars  shone  out  above  their  heads ; 
up  and  down  and  round,  till  the  sand 
was  stamped  hard  beneath  their  feet. 
And  their  eyes  flashed  like  stars  in  the 
darkness,  and  their  breath  went  up  like 
smoke  in  the  night  air;  but  neither  took 
nor  gave  a  footstep,  and  the  people 
watched  silent  at  the  gates. 

But  at  last  Kerkuon  grew  angry,  and 
caught  Theseus  round  the  neck,  and 
shook  him  as  a  mastiff  shakes  a  rat ; 
but  he  could  not  shake  him  off  his  feet. 

But  Theseus  was  quick  and  wary,  and 
clasped  Kerkuon  round  the  waist,  and 
slipped  his  loin  quickly  underneath  him, 
while  he  caught  him  by  the  wrist;  and 
then  he  hove  a  mighty  heave,  a  heave 
which  would  have  stirred  an  oak,  and 
lifted  Kerkuon,  and  pitched  him,  right 
over  his  shoulder  on  the  ground. 


THESEUS.  279 

Then  he  leapt  on  him,  and  called, 
« Yield,  or  I  kill  thee ! "  but  Kerkuon 
said  no  word ;  for  his  heart  was  burst 
within  him,  with  the  fall,  and  the  meat, 
and  the  wine. 

Then  Theseus  opened  the  gates,  and 
called  in  all  the  people ;  and  they  cried, 
"  You  have  slain  our  evil  king ;  be  you 
now  our  king,  and  rule  us  well." 

"I  will  be  your  king  in  Eleusis,  and  I 
will  rule  you  right  and  well :  for  this  cause 
I  have  slain  ail  evil-doers,  Sinis,  and  Sciron, 
and  this  man  last  of  all'." 

Then  an  aged  man  stepped  forth,  and 
said,  "  Young  hero,  hast  thou  slain  Sinis  ? 
Beware  then  of  ^Egeus,  king  of  Athens, 
to  whom  thou  goest,  for  he  is  near  of 
kin  to  Sinis." 

"Then  I  have  slain  my  own  kinsman," 
said  Theseus,  "  though  well  he  deserved 
to  die.  Who  will  purge  me  from  his 
death,  foi  rightfully  I  slew  him,  unrighteous 
and  accursed  as  he  was-?" 


280  THESEUS. 

And  the  old  man  answered, — 

"That  will  the  heroes  do,  the  sons  of 
Phy talus,  who  dwell  beneath  the  elm-tree 
in  Aphidnai,  by  the  bank  of  silver  Cephi- 
sus ;  for  they  know  the  mysteries  of  the 
Gods.  Thither  you  shall  go  and  be  puri- 
fied, and  after  you  shall  be  our  king." 

So  he-  took  an  oath  of  the  people  of 
Eleusis,  that  they  would  serve  him  as 
their  king,  and  went  away  next  morning 
across  the  Thriasian  plain,  and  over  the 
hills  toward  Aphidnai,  that  he  might  find 
the  sons  of  Phytalus. 

And  as  he  was  skirting  the  Vale  of 
Cephisus,  along  the  foot  of  lofty  Parnes,  a 
very  tall  and  strong  man  came  down  to 
meet  him,  dressed  in  rich  garments.  On 
his  arms  were  golden  bracelets,  and  round 
his  neck  a  collar  of  jewels ;  and  he  came 
forward,  bowing  courteously,  and  held  out 
both  his  hands,  and  spoke, — 

"Welcome,  fair  youth,  to  these  moun- 
tains; happy  am  I  to  have  met  you!  For 


THESEUS.  281 

what  greater  pleasure  to  a  good  man,  than 
to  entertain  strangers?  But  I  see  that 
you  are  weary.  Come  up  to  my  castle, 
and  rest  yourself  awhile." 

"I  give  you  thanks,"  said  Theseus; 
"but  I  am  in  haste  to  go  up  the  valley, 
and  to  reach  Aphidnai  in  the  Vale  of 
Cephisus." 

"  Alas !  you  have  wandered  far  from  the 
right  way,  and  you  cannot  reach  Aphidnai 
to-night ;  for  there  are  many  miles  of 
mountain  between  you  and  it,  and  steep 
passes,  and  cliffs  dangerous  after  nightfall. 
It  is  well  for  you  that  I  met  you;  for 
my  whole  joy  is  to  find  strangers,  and  to 
feast  them  at  my  castle,  and  hear  tales 
from  them  of  foreign  lands.  Come  up 
with  me,  and  eat  the  best  of  venison,-  and 
drink  the  rich  red  wine ;  and  sleep  upon 
my  famous  bed,  of  which  all  travellers 
say,  that  they  never  saw  the  like.  For 
whatsoever  the  stature  of  my  guest,  how- 
ever tall  or  short,  that  bed  fits  him  to  a 


282  THESEUS. 

hair,  and  he  sleeps  on  it  as  he  never  slept 
before."  And  he  laid  hold  on  Theseus's 
hands,  and  would  not  let  him  go. 

Theseus  wished  to  go  forwards :  but  he 
was  ashamed  to  seem  churlish  to  so  hos- 
pitable a  man ;  and  he  was  curious  to  see 
that  wondrous  bed;  and  beside,  he  was 
hungry  and  weary :  yet  he  shrank  from 
the  man,  he  knew  not  why:  for  though 
his  voice  was  gentle  and  fawning,  it  was 
dry  and  husky  like  a  toad's  ;  and  though 
his  eyes  were  gentle,  they  were  dull  and 
cold  like  stones.  But  he  consented,  and 
went  with  the  man  up  a  glen  which  led 
from  the  road  toward  the  peaks  of  Parnes, 
under  the  dark  shadow  of  the'  cliffs. 

And  as  they  went  up,  the  glen  grew 
narrower,  and  the  cliffs  higher  and  darker, 
and  beneath  them  a  torrent  roared,  half- 
seen  between  bare  limestone  crags.  And 
around  them  was  neither  tree  nor  bush, 
while  from  the  white  peaks  of  Parnes  the 
snow-blasts  swept  down  the  glen,  cutting 


THESEUS.  283 

and  .  chilling,  till  a  horror  fell  on  Theseus, 
as  he  looked  round  at  that  doleful  place. 
And  he  asked  at  last,  "  Your  castle  stands, 
it  seems,  in  a  dreary  region." 

"Yes,  but  once  within  it,  hospitality 
makes  all  things  cheerful.  But  who  are 
these  ? "  and  he  looked  back,  and  Theseus 
also  ;  and  far  below,  along  the  road  which 
they  had  left,  came  a  string  of  laden 
asses,  and  merchants  walking  by  them, 
watching  their  ware. 

"Ah,  poor  souls!"  said  the  stranger. 
"Well  for  them  that  I  looked  back  and 
saw  them !  And  well  for  me  too,  for  I 
shall  have  the  more  guests  at  my  feast. 
Wait  awhile  till  I  go  down  and  call  them, 
and  we  will  eat  and  drink  together  the 
livelong  night.  Happy  am  I,  to  whom 
Heaven  sends  so  many  guests  at  once  1 " 

And  he  ran  back  down  the  hill,  waving 
his  hand  and  shouting  to  the  merchants, 
while  Theseus  went  slowly  up  the  steep 
pass. 


284  THESEUS. 

But  as  he  went  up  he  met  an  aged 
man,  who  had  been  gathering  drift-wood  in 
the  torrent-bed.  He  had  laid  down  his 
fagot  in  the  road,  and  was  trying  to  lift 
it  again  to  his  shoulder.  And  when  he 
saw  Theseus,  he  called  to  him,  and  said,  — 

"  0  fair  youth,  help  me  up  with  my 
burden;  for  my  limbs  are  stiff  and  weak 
with  years." 

Then  Theseus  lifted  the  burden  on  his 
back.  And  the  old  man  blest  him,  and 
then  looked  earnestly  upon  him,  and 
said,  — 

"  Who  are  you,  fair  youth,  and  wherefore 
travel  you  this  doleful  road?" 

"Who  I  am  my  parents  know:  but  I 
travel  this  doleful  road  because  I  have 
been  invited  by  a  hospitable  man,  who 
promises  to  feast  me,  and  to  make  me 
sleep  upon  I  know  not  what  wondrous 
bed." 

Then  the  old  man  clapped  his  hands 
together,  and  cried, — 


THESEUS.  285 

"  0  house  of  Hades,  man-devouring  ;  will 
thy  maw  never  be  full  ?  Know,  fair  youth, 
that  you  are  going  to  torment  and  to 
death;  for  he  who  met  you  (I  will  requite 
your  kindness  by  another)  is  a  robber  and 
a  murderer  of  men.  Whatsoever  stranger 
he  meets  he  entices  him  hither  to  death ; 
and  as  for  this  bed  of  which  he  speaks, 
truly  it  fits  all  comers,  yet  none  ever  rose 
alive  off  it  save  me." 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  Theseus,  astonished. 

"  Because,  if  a  man  be  too  tall  for  it,  he 
lops  his  limbs  till  they  be  short  enough, 
and  if  he  be  too  short,  he  stretches  his 
limbs  till  they  be  long  enough :  but  me 
only  he  spared,  seven  weary  years  agone ; 
for  I  alone  of  all  fitted  his  bed  exactly,  so 
he  spared  me,  and  made  me  his  slave. 
And  once  I  was  a  wealthy  merchant,  and 
dwelt  in  brazen-gated  Thebes ;  but  now  I 
hew  wood  and  draw  water  for  him,  the 
torment  of  all  mortal  men." 

Then  Theseus  said  nothing;  but  he 
ground  his  teeth  together, 


286  THESEUS. 

"Escape  then,"  said  the  old  man,  "for 
he  will  have  no  pity  on  thy  youth.  But 
yesterday  he  brought  up  hither  a  young 
man  and  a  maiden,  and  fitted  them  upon 
his  bed :  and  the  young  man's  hands  and 
feet  he  cut  off;  but  the  maiden's  limbs  he 
stretched  until  she  died,  and  so  both 
perished  miserably  —  but  I  am  tired  of 
weeping  over  the  slain.  And  therefore  he 
is  called  Procrustes  the  stretcher,  though 
his  father  called  him  Damastes.  Flee  from 
him:  yet  whither  will  you  flee?  The  cliffs 
are  steep,  and  who  can  climb  them?  and 
there  is  no  other  road." 

But  Theseus  laid  his  hand  upon  the  old 
man's  mouth,  and  said,  « There  is  no  need 
to  flee;"  and  he  turned  to  go  down  the 
pass. 

"Do  not  tell  him  that  I  have  warned 
you,  or  he  will  kill  me  by  some  evil 
death;"  and  the  old  man  screamed  after 
him  down  the  glen :  but  Theseus  strode 
on  in  his  wrath. 


THESEUS.  287 

And  he  said  to  himself,  "This  is  an  ill- 
ruled  land ;  when  shall  I  have  done  rid- 
ding it  of  monsters  ? "  And  as  he  spoke, 
Procrustes  came  up  the  hill,  and  all  the 
merchants  with  him,  smiling  and  talking 
gayly.  And  when  he  saw  Theseus,  he 
cried,  "Ah,  fair  young  guest,  have  I  kept  . 
you  too  long  waiting  ? " 

But  Theseus  answered,  "The  man  who 
stretches  his  guests  upon  a  bed,  and  hews 
off  their  hands  and  feet,  what  shall  be  done 
to  him,  when  right  is  done  throughout  the 
land?" 

Then  Procrustes's  countenance  changed, 
and  his  cheeks  grew  as  green  as  a  lizard, 
and  he  felt  for  his  sword  in  haste;  but 
Theseus  leapt  on  him,  and  cried,  — 

"Is  this  true,  my  host,  or  is  it  false?" 
and  he  clasped  Procrustes's  round  waist  and 
elbow,  so  that  he  could  not  draw  his 
sword. 

"Is  this  true,  my  host,  or  is  it  false?" 
But  Procrustes  answered  never  a  word. 


288  THESEUS. 

Then  Theseus  flung  him  from  him,  and 
lifted  up  his  dreadful  club ;  and  before 
Procrustes  could  strike  him  he  had  struck, 
and  felled  him  to  the  ground. 

And  once  again  he  struck  him;  and  his 
evil  soul  fled  forth,  and  went  down  to 
Hades  squeaking,  like  a  bat  into  the  dark- 
ness of  a  cave. 

Then  Theseus  stript  him  of  his  gold 
ornaments,  and  went  up  to  his  house,  and 
found  there  great  wealth  and  treasure, 
which  he  had  stolen  from  the  passers  by. 
And  he  called  the  people  of  the  country, 
whom  Procrustes  had  spoiled  a  long  time, 
and  parted  the  spoil  among  them,  and  went 
down  the  mountains,  and  away. 

And  he  went  down  the  glens  of  Parnes, 
through  mist,  and  cloud,  and  rain,  down 
the  slopes  of  oak,  and  lentisk,  and  arbutus, 
and  fragrant  bay,  till  he  came  to  the  Vale 
of  Cephisus,  and  the  pleasant  town  of 
Aphidnai,  and  the  home  of  the  Phytalid 
heroes,  where  they  dwelt  beneath  a  mighty 
elm 


THESEUS.  289 

And  there  they  built  an  altar,  and  bade 
him  bathe  in  Cephisus,  and  offer  a  yearling 
ram,  and  purified  him  from  the  blood  of 
Sinis,  and  sent  him  away  in  peace. 

And  he  went  down  the  valley  by  Archar- 
nai,  and  by  the  silver-swirling  stream,  while 
all  the  people  blessed  him ;  for  the  fame 
of  his  prowess  had  spread  wide,  till  he  saw 
the  plain  of  Athens,  and  the  hill  where 
Athene  dwells. 

So  Theseus  went  up  through  Athens, 
and  all  the  people  ran  out  to  see  him ;  for 
his  fame  had  gone  before  him,  and  every 
one  knew  of  his  mighty  deeds.  And  all 
cried,  "Here  comes  the  hero,  who  slew 
Sinis,  and  Phaia  the  wild  sow  of  Crom- 
myon,  and  conquered  Cercyon  in  wrestling, 
and  slew  Procrustes  the  pitiless.  But 
Theseus  went  on  sadly  and  steadfastly ; 
for  his  heart  yearned  after  his  father;  and 
he  said,  "  How  shall  I  deliver  him  from 
these  leeches  who  suck  his  blood?" 

So  he  went  up  the  holy  stairs,  and 
13 


290  THESEUS. 

into  the  Acropolis,  where  ^geus's  palace 
stood;  and  he  went  straight  into  ^geus's 
hall,  and  stood  upon  the  threshold,  and 
looked  round. 

And  there  he  saw  his  cousins  sittjng 
about  the  table,  at  the  wine ;  many  a  son 
of  Pallas,  but  no  ^Egeus  among  them. 
There  they  sat  and  feasted,  and  laughed, 
and  passed  the  wine-cup  round  ;  while 
harpers  harped,  and  slave  girls  sang,  and 
the  tumblers  showed  their  tricks. 

Loud  laughed  the  sons  of  Pallas,  and 
fast  went  the  wine-cup  round  ;  but  Theseus 
frowned,  and  said  under  his  breath,  "No 
wonder  that  the  land  is  full  of  robbers, 
while  such  as  these  bear  rule." 

Then  the  Pallantids  saw  him,  and  called 
to  him,  half-drunk  with  wine  —  "  Holla,  tall 
stranger  at  the  door,  what  is  your  will  to- 
day?" 

"I  come  hither  to  ask  for  hospitality." 

"Then  take  it,  and  welcome.  You  look 
like  a  hero  and  a  bold  warrior;  and  we 
like  such  to  drink  with  us." 


THESEUS.  291 

"  I  ask  no  hospitality  of  you ;  I  ask  it 
of  ^Egeus  the  king,  the  master  of  this 
house." 

At  that  some  growled,  and  some  laughed, 
and  shouted,  "Heyday,  we  are  all  masters 
here." 

"  Then  I  am  master  as  much  as  the  rest 
of  you,"  said  Theseus  ;  and  he  strode  past 
the  table  up  the  hall,  and  looked  around 
for  ^Egeus;  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen. 

The  Pallantids  looked  at  him,  and  then 
at  each  other ;  and  each  whispered  to  the 
man  next  him,  "  This  is  a  forward  fellow ; 
he  ought  to  be  thrust  out  at  the  door." 
But  each  man's  neighbour  whispered  in 
return,  "  His  shoulders  are  broad ;  will  you 
rise  and  put  him  out?"  So  they  all  sat 
still  where  they  were. 

Then  Theseus  called  to  the  servants, 
and  said,  "  Go  tell  King  ^Egeus  your 
master,  that  Theseus  of  Troezene  is  here, 
and  asks  to  be  his  guest  awhile." 


292  THESEUS. 

A  servant  ran  and  told  ^Egeus,  where 
he  sat  in  his  chamber  within,  by  Medeia 
the  dark  witch-woman,  watching  her  eye 
and  hand.  And  when  ^Egeus  heard  of 
Trcezene,  he  turned  pale  and  red  again; 
and  rose  from  his  seat  trembling,  while 
Medeia  watched  him  like  a  snake. 

"  What  is  Troezene  to  you,"  she  asked. 
But  he  said  hastily,  "  Do  you  not  know 
who  this  Theseus  is  ?  The  hero  who  has 
cleared  the  country  from  all  monsters;  but 
that  he  came  from  Troezene,  I  never  heard 
before.  I  must  go  out  and  welcome  him." 

So  ^Egeus  came  out  into  the  hall ;  and 
when  Theseus  saw  him,  his  heart  leapt 
into  his  mouth,  and  he  longed  to  fall  on 
his  neck  and  welcome  him;  but  he  con- 
trolled himself,  and  said,  "My  father  may 
not  wish  for  me,  after  all.  I  will  try  him 
before  I  discover  myself;"  and  he  bowed 
low  before  JEgeus,  and  said,  "I  have  de- 
livered the  king's  realm  from  many  mon- 
sters ;  therefore  I  am  come  to  ask  a  reward 
of  the  king." 


THESEUS.  293 

And  old  ^Egeus  looked  on  him,  and 
loved  him,  as  what  fond  heart  would  not 
have  done  ?  But  he  only  sighed,  and 
said, — 

"It  is  little  that  I  can  give  you,  noble 
lad,  and  nothing  that  is  worthy  of  you; 
for  surely  you  are  no  mortal  man,  or  at 
least  no  mortal's  son." 

"  All  I  ask,"  said  Theseus,  "  is  to  eat 
and  drink  at  your  table." 

"  That  I  can  give  you,"  said  ^Egeus,  "  if 
at  least  I  am  master  in  my  own  hall." 

Then  he  bade  them  put  a  seat  for. 
Theseus,  and  set  before  him  the  best  of 
the  feast;  and  Theseus  sat  and  ate  so 
much,  that  all  the  company  wondered  at 
him;  but  always  he  kept  his  club  by  his 
side. 

But  Medeia  the  dark  witch-woman  had 
been  watching  him  all  the  while.  She 
saw  how  ^Egeus  turned  red  and  pale,  when 
the  lad  said  that  he  came  from  Troezene. 
She  saw,  too,  how  his  heart  was  opened 


294  THESEUS. 

toward  Theseus ;  and  how  Theseus  bore 
himself  before  all  the  sons  of  Pallas,  like 
;i  lion  among  a  pack  of  curs.  And  she 
said  to  herself,  "  This  youth  will  be  master 
here  ;  perhaps  he  is  nearer  to  ^Egeus 
already  than  mere  fancy.  At  least  the 
Pallantids  will  have  no  chance,  by  the 
side  of  such  as  he." 

Then  she  went  back  into  her  chamber 
modestly,  while  Theseus  ate  and  drank; 
and  all  the  servants  whispered,  "  This,  then, 
is  the  man  who  killed  the  monsters !  How 
noble  .are  his  looks,  and  how  huge  his 
size !  Ah,  would  that  he  were  our  master's 
son ! " 

But  presently  Medeia  came  forth,  decked 
in  all  her  jewels,  and  her  rich  Eastern 
robes,  and  looking  more  beautiful  than  the 
day  ;  so  that  all  the  guests  could  look  at 
nothing  else.  And  in  her  right  hand  she 
held  a  golden  cup,  and  in  her  left  a  ilask 
of  gold  ;  and  she  came  up  to  Theseus,  and 
spoke,  in  a  sweet,  soft,  winning  voice, — 


THLSEUS.  295 

"  Hail  to  the  hero,  the  conqueror,  the  un- 
conquered,  the  destroyer  of  all  evil  things ! 
Drink,  hero,  of  my  charmed  cup,  which 
gives  rest  after  every  toil,  which  heals  all 
wounds,  and  pours  new  life  into  the  veins. 
Drink  of  my  cup,  for  in  it  sparkles  the 
wine  of  the  East,  and  Nepenthe,  the  com- 
fort of  the  Immortals." 

And  as  she  spoke,  she  poured  the  flask 
into  the  cup ;  and  the  fragrance  of  the 
wine  spread  through  the  hall,  like  the  scent 
of  thyme  and  roses. 

And  Theseus  looked  up  in  her  fair  face, 
and  into  her  deep  dark  eyes.  And  as  he 
looked,  he  shrank  and  shuddered;  for  they 
were  dry  like  the  eyes  of  a  snake.  And 
he  rose,  and  said,  "  The  wine  is  rich  and 
fragrant,  and  the  wine-bearer  as  fair  as  the 
immortals;  but  let  her  pledge  me  first 
herself  in  the  cup,  that  the  wine  may  be 
the  sweeter  from  her  lips." 

Then  Medeia  turned  pale,  and  stammered, 
"Forgive  me,  fair  hero;  but  I  am  ill,  and 
dare  drink  no  wine." 


296  THESEUS. 

And  Theseus  looked  again  into  her  eyes, 
and  cried,  "  Thou  shalt  pledge  me  in  that 
cup,  or  die."  And  he  lifted  up  his  brazen 
club,  while  all  the  guests  looked  on  aghast. 

Medeia  shrieked  a  fearful  shriek,  and 
dashed  the  cup  to  the  ground,  and  fled; 
and  where  the  wine  flowed  over  the  marble 
pavement,  the  stone  bubbled,  and  crumbled, 
and  hissed,  under  the  fierce  venom  of  the 
draught. 

But  Medeia  called  her  dragon  chariot, 
and  sprang  into  it  and  fled  aloft,  away 
over  land  and  sea,  and  no  man  saw  her 
more. 

And  ^Egeus  cried,  "  What  hast  thou 
done  ?  "  But  Theseus  pointed  to  the  stone 
—  "I  have  rid  the  land  of  an  emchantment : 
now  I  will  rid  it  of  one  more." 

And  he  came  close  to  ^Egeus,  and  drew 
from  his  bosom  the  sword  and  the  sandals, 
and  said  the  words  which  his  mother  bade 
him. 

And  jEgeus  stepped   back   a    pace,   and 


THESEUS.  297 

looked  at  the  lad  till  his  eyes  grew  dim  ; 
and  then  he  cast  himself  on  his  neck  and 
wept,  and  Theseus  wept  on  his  neck,  till 
they  had  no  strength  left  to  weep  more. 

Then  ^Egeus  turned  to  all  the  people, 
and  cried,  "Behold  my  son,  children  of 
Cecrops,  a  better  man  than  his  father  was 
before  him." 

Who  then  were  mad  but  the  Pallantids, 
though  they  had  been  mad  enough  before  ? 
And  one  shouted,  "  Shall  we  make  room 
for  an  upstart,  a  pretender,  who  comes  from 
we  know  not  where  ? "  And  another,  "  If 
he  be  one,  we  are  more  than  one ;  and  the 
stronger  can  hold  his  own."  And  one 
shouted  one  thing  "and  one  another ;  for 
they  were  hot  and  wild  with  wine :  but  all 
caught  swords  and  lances  off  the  wall, 
where  the  weapons  hung  around,  and  sprang 
forward  to  Theseus,  and  Theseus  sprang 
forward  to  them. 

And  he  cried,  "  Go  in  peace,  if  you  will, 
my  cousins ;  but  if  not,  your  blood  be  on 
13* 


298  THESEUS. 

your  own  heads."  But  they  rushed  at 
him ;  and  then  stopped  short  and  railed 
him,  as  curs  stop  and  bark  when  they 
rouse  a  lion  from  his  lair. 

But  one  hurled  a  lance  from  the  rear 
rank,  which  past  close  by  Theseus's  head  ; 
and  at  that  Theseus  rushed  forward,  and 
the  fight  began  indeed.  Twenty  against 
one  they  fought,  and  yet  Theseus  beat 
them  all ;  mid  those  who  were  left  fled 
down  into  the  town,  where  the  people  set 
on  them,  and  drove  them  out,  till  Theseus 
was  left  alone  in  the  palace,  with  ^Egeus 
his  new-found  father.  But  before  nightfall 
all  the  town  came  up,  with  victims,  and 
dances,  and  songs ;  and  they  offered  sacri- 
fices to  Athene,  and  rejoiced  all  the  night 
long,  because  their  king  had  found  a  noble 
son,  and  an  heir  to  his  royal  house. 

So  Theseus  stayed  with  his  father  all 
the  winter;  and  when  the  spring  equinox 
drew  near,  all  the  Athenians  grew  sad  and 
silent,  and  Theseus  saw  it,  and  asked  the 


TUESEUS.  299 

reason ;  but  no  one  would  answer  him  a 
word. 

Then  he  went  to  his  father,  and  asked 
him  :  but  ^Egeus  turned  away  his  face  and 
wept. 

"  Do  not  ask,  my  son,  beforehand,  about 
evils  which  must  happen  :  it  is  enough  to 
have  to  face  them  when  they  come." 

And  when  the  spring  equinox  came,  a 
herald  came  to  Athens,  and  stood  in  the 
market,  and  cried,  "  0  people  and  King  of 
Athens,  where  is  your  yearly  tribute  ? " 
Then  a  great  lamentation  arose  throughout 
the  city.  But  Theseus  stood  up  to  the 
herald,  and  cried,  — 

'•  And  who  are  you,  dog-faced,  who  dare 
demand  tribute  here  ?  If  I  did  not  rev- 
erence your  herald's  staff,  I  would  brain 
you  with  this  club." 

And  the  herald  answered  proudly,  for 
he  was  a  grave  and  ancient  man, — 

"  Fair  youth,  I  am  not  dog-faced  or 
shameless ;  but  I  do  my  master's  bidding, 


300  THESEUS. 

Minos  the  King  of  hundred-citied  Crete, 
the  wisest  of  all  kings  on  earth.  And  you 
must  be  surely  a  stranger  here,  or  you 
would  know  why  I  come,  and  that  I  come 
by  right." 

"  I  am  a  stranger  here.  Tell  me,  then, 
why  you  come." 

"  To  fetch  the  tribute  which  King  ^Egeus 
promised  to  Minos,  and  confirmed  his  prom- 
ise with  an  oath.  For  Minos  conquered 
all  this  land,  and  Megara  which  lies  to  the 
east,  when  he  came  hither  with  a  great 
fleet  of  ships,  enraged  about  the  murder 
of  his  son.  For  his  son  Androgeos  came 
hither  to  the  Panathenaic  games,  and  over- 
came all  the  Greeks  in  the  sports,  so  that 
the  people  honoured  him  as  a  hero.  But 
when  ^Egeus  saw  his  valour,  he  envied 
him,  and  feared  lest  he  should  join  the 
sons  of  Pallas,  and  take  away  the  sceptre 
from  him.  So  he  plotted  against  his  life, 
and  slew  him  basely,  no  man  knows  how 
or  where.  Some  say  that  he  waylaid  him 


THESEUS.  301 

by  Oinoe,  on  the  road  which  goes  to 
Thebes ;  and  some  that  he  sent  him 
against  the  bull  of  Marathon,  that  the 
beast  might  kill  him.  But  ^Egeus  says 
that  the  young  men  killed  him  from  envy? 
because  he  had  conquered  them  in  the 
games.  So  Minos  came  hither  and  avenged 
him,  and  would  not  depart  till  this  land 
had  promised  him  tribute,  seven  youths 
and  seven  maidens  every  year,  who  go 
with  me  in  a  black-sailed  ship,  till  they 
come  to  hundred-citied  Crete." 

And  Theseus  ground  his  teeth  together, 
and  said,  "Wert  thou  not  a  herald  I 
would  kill  thee,  for  saying  such  things  of 
my  father :  but  I  will  go  to  him,  and 
know  the  truth."  So  he  went  to  his 
father,  and  asked  him ;  but  he  turned 
away  his  head  and  wept,  and  said,  "Blood 
was  shed  in  the  land  unjustly,  and  by 
blood  it  is  avenged.  Break  not  my  heart 
by  questions;  it  i?  enough  to  endure  in 
silence," 


302  THESEUS. 

Then  Theseus  groaned  inwardly,  and 
said,  "I  will  go  myself  with  these  youths 
and  maidens,  and  kill  Minos  upon  his 
royal  throne." 

But  ^Egeus  shrieked,  and  cried,  "You 
shall  not  go,  my  son,  the  light  of  my  old 
age,  to  whom  alone  I  look  to  rule  this 
people,  after  I  am  dead  and  gone.  You 
shall  not  go,  to  die  horribly,  as  those 
youths  and  maidens  die ;  for  Minos  thrusts 
them  into  a  labyrinth,  which  Daidalos 
made  for  him  among  the  rocks,  —  Daidalos 
the  renegade,  the  accursed,  the  pest  of  this 
his  native  land.  From  that  labyrinth  no 
one  can  escape,  entangled  in  its  winding 
ways,  before  they  meet  the  Minotaur  the 
monster,  who  feeds  upon  the  flesh  of  men. 
There  he  devours  them  horribly,  and  they 
never  see  this  land  again." 

Then  Theseus  grew  red,  and  his  ears 
tingled,  and  his  heart  beat  loud  in  his 
bosom.  And  he  stood  awhile  like  a  tall 
stone  pillar,  on  the  cliffs  above  some  hero's 
grave  ;  and  at  last  he  spoke,  — 


THESEUS.  303 

"Therefore  all  the  more  I  will  go  with 
them,  and  slay  the  accursed  beast.  Have 
I  not  slain  all  evil-doers  and  monsters, 
that  I  might  free  this  land?  Where  are 
Periphetes,  and  Sinis,  and  Kerkuon,  and 
Phaia  the  wild  sow?  Where  are  the  fifty 
sons  of  Pallas?  And  this  Minotaur  shall 
go  the  road  which  they  have  gone,  and 
Minos  himself,  if  he  dare  stay  me." 

"But  how  will  you  slay  him,  my  sonl 
For  you  must  leave  your  club  and  youi 
armour  behind,  and  be  cast  to  the  mon- 
ster, defenceless  and  naked  like  the  rest." 

And  Theseus  said,  "Are  there  no  stones 
in  that  labyrinth;  and  have  I  not  fists 
and  teeth?  Did  I  need  my  club  to  kill 
Kerkuon,  the  terror  of  all  mortal  men  ? " 

Then  ^Egeus  clung  to  his  knees ;  but 
he  would  not  hear;  and  at  last  he  let 
him  go,  weeping  bitterly,  and  said  only 
this  one  word, — 

"  Promise  me  but  this,  if  you  return  in 
peace,  though  that  may  hardly  be:  take 


304  THESEUS. 

down  the  black  sail  of  the  ship,  (for  I 
shall  watch  for  it  all  day  upon  the  cliffs,) 
and  hoist  instead  a  white  sail,  that  I  may 
know  afar  off  that  you  are  safe." 

And  Theseus  promised,  and  went  out, 
and  to  the  market-place  where  the  herald 
stood,  while  they  drew  lots  for  the  youths 
and  maidens,  who  were  to  sail  in  that 
doleful  crew.  And  the  people  stood  wail- 
ing and  weeping,  as  the  lot  fell  on  this 
one  and  on  that:  but  Theseus  strode  into 
the  midst,  and  cried, — 

"Here  is  a  youth  who  needs  no  lot.  I 
myself  will  be  one  of  the  seven." 

And  the  herald  asked  in  wonder,  "Fair 
youth,  know  you  whither  you  are  going  ? " 

And  Theseus  said,  "I  know.  Let  us 
go  down  to  the  black-sailed  ship." 

So  they  went  down  to  the  black-sailed 
ship,  seven  maidens,  and  seven  youths, 
and  Theseus  before  them  all,  and  the 
people  following  them  lamenting.  But 
Theseus  whispered  to  his  companions, 


THESEUS.  305 

"  Have  hope,  for  the  monster  is  not  im- 
mortal. Where  are  Periphates,  and  Sinis, 
and  Sciron,  and  all  whom  I  have  slain  ? " 
Then  their  hearts  were  comforted  a  little : 
but  they  wept  as  they  went  on  board, 
and  the  cliffs  of  Sunium  rang,  and  all  the 
isles  of  the  ^Egean  Sea,  with  the  voice  of 
their  lamentation,  as  they  sailed  on  toward 
their  deaths  in  Crete. 


PART  IIL 

HOW  THESEUS  SLEW  THE  MINOTAUR. 

AND  at  last  they  came  to  Crete,  and  to 
Cnossus,  beneath  the  peaks  of  Ida,  and  to 
the  palace  of  Minos  the  great  king,  to 
whom  Zeus  himself  taught  laws.  So  he 
was  the  wisest  of  all  mortal  kings,*  and 
conquered  all  the  ^Egean  isles ;  and  his 
ships  were  as  many  as  the  sea-gulls,  and 
his  palace  like  a  marble  hill.  And  he  sat 
among  the  pillars  of  the  hall,  upon  his 
throne  of  beaten  gold,  and  around  him 
stood  the  speaking  statues  which  Daidalos 
had  made  by  his  skill.  For  Daidalos  was 
the  most  cunning  of  all  Athenians,  and  he 


THESEUS.  307 

first  invented  the  plumb-line,  and  the 
auger,  and  glue,  and  many  a  tool  with 
which  wood  is  wrought.  And  he  first  set 
up  masts  in  ships,  and  yards,  and  his  son 
made  sails  for  them :  but  Perdix  his 
nephew  excelled  him;  for  he  first  invented 
the  saw  and  its  teeth,  copying  it  from  the 
backbone  of  a  fish ;  and  invented,  too,  the 
chisel,  and  the  compasses,  and  the  potter's 
wheel  which  moulds  the  clay.  Therefore 
Daidalos  envied  him,  and  hurled  him  head- 
long from  the  temple  of  Athene  :  but  the 
Goddess  pitied  him,  (for  she  loves  the 
wise,)  and  changed  him  into  a  partridge, 
which  flits  forever  about  the  hills.  And 
Daidalos  fled  to  Crete,  to  Minos,  and 
worked  for  him  many  a  year,  till  he  did 
a  shameful  deed,  at  which  the  sun  hid  his 
face  on  high. 

Then  he  fled  from  the  anger  of  Minos, 
he  and  Icaros  his  son  having  made  them- 
selves wings  of  feathers,  and  fixed  the 
feathers  with  wax.  So  they  flew  over  the 


308  THESEUS. 

sea  toward  Sicily;  but  Icaros  flew  too 
near  the  sun  ;*  and  the  wax  of  his  wings 
was  melted,  and  he  fell  into  the  Icarian 
Sea.  But  Daidalos  came  safe  to  Sicily, 
and  there  wrought  many  a  wondrous  work ; 
for  he  made  for  King  Cocalos  a  reservoir, 
from  which  a  great  river  watered  all  the 
land,  and  a  castle  and  a  treasury  on  a 
mountain,  which  the  giants  themselves 
could  not  have  stormed ;  and  in  Selinos 
he  took  the  steam  which  comes  up  from 
the  fires  of  JEtna,  and  made  of  it  a  warm 
bath  of  vapour,  to  cure  the  pains  of  mortal 
men ;  and  he  made  a  honeycomb  of  gold, 
in  which  the  bees  came  and  stored  their 
honey,  and  in  Egypt  he  made  the  fore- 
court of  the  temple  of  Hephaistos  in 
Memphis,  and  a  statue  of  himself  within 
it,  and  many  another  wondrous  work. 
And  for  Minos  he  made  statues  which 
spoke  and  moved,  and  the  temple  of  Brito- 
martis,  and  the  dancing-hall  of  Ariadne, 
which  he  carved  of  fair  white  stone.  And 


THESEUS.  309 

in  Sardinia  he  worked  for  lolaos,  and  in 
many  a  land  beside,  wandering  up  and 
down  forever  with  his  cunning,  unlovely 
and  accursed  by  men. 

But  Theseus  stood  before  Minos,  and 
they  looked  each  other  in  the  face.  And 
Minos  bade  take  them  to  prison,  and  cast 
them  to  the  monster  one  by  one,  that  the 
death  of  Androgeos  might  be  avenged. 
Then  Theseus  cried, — 

"A  boon,  0  Minos.  Let  me  be  thrown 
first  to  the  beast.  For  I  came  hither  for 
that  very  purpose,  of  my  own  will,  and 
not  by  lot" 

"Who  art  thou,  then,  brave  youth?" 

"I  am  the  son  of  him  whom  of  all  men 
thou  hatest  most,  ^Egeus  the  king  of 
Athens,  and  I  am  come  here  to  end  this 
matter." 

And  Minos  pondered  awhile,  looking 
steadfastly  at  him,  and  he  thought,  "  The 
lad  means  to  atone  by  his  own  death  for 
his  father's  sin;"  and  he  answered  at  last 
mildly,  — 


310  THESEUS. 

"Go  back  in  peace,  my  son.  It  is  a 
pity  that  one  so  brave  should  die." 

But  Theseus  said,  "  I  have  sworn  that 
I  will  not  go  back  till  I  have  seen  the 
monster  face  to  face." 

And  at  that  Minos  frowned,  and  said, 
"Then  thou  shalt  see  him;  take  the  mad- 
man away." 

And  they  led  Theseus  away  into  the 
prison,  with  the  other  youths  and  maids. 

But  Ariadne,  Minos's  daughter,  saw  him, 
as  she  came  out  of  her  white  stone  hall ; 
and  she  loved  him  for  his  courage  and 
his  majesty,  and  said,  "  Shame  that  such 
a  youth  should  die  ! "  And  by  night  she 
went  down  to  the  prison,  and  told  him  all 
her  heart ;  and  said,  — 

"Flee  down  to  your  ship  at  once,  for  I 
have  bribed  the  guards  before  the  door. 
Flee,  you  and  all  your  friends,  and  go 
back  in  peace  to  Greece ;  and  take  me, 
take  me  with  you !  for  I  dare  not  stay* 
after  you  are  gone ;  for  my  father  will 


THESEUS.  311 

kill  me  miserably,  if  he  knows  what  I 
have  done." 

And  Theseus  stood  silent  awhile ;  for 
he  was  astonished  and  confounded  by  her 
beauty:  but  at  last  he  said,  "I  cannot 
go  home  in  peace,  till  I  have  seen  and 
slain  this  Minotaur,  and  avenged  the 
deaths  of  the  youths  and  maidens,  and 
put  an  end  to  the  terrors  of  my  land." 

"And  will  you  kill  the  Minotaur? 
How,  then?" 

"  I  know  not,  nor  do  I  care :  but  he 
must  be  strong  if  he  be  too  strong  for 


me." 


Then  she  loved  him  all  the  more,  and 
said,  "But  when  you  have  killed  him, 
how  will  you  find  your  way  out  of  the 
labyrinth?" 

"  I  know  not,  neither  do  I  care  :  but  it 
must  be  a  strange  road,  if  I  do  not  find 
it  out  before  I  have  eaten  up  the  monster's 


carcase." 


Then   she   loved  him   all   the   more,  and 
said, 


312  THESEUS. 

"Fair  youth,  you  are  too  bold;  but  I 
can  help  you,  weak  as  I  am.  I  will  give 
you  a  sword,  and  with  that,  perhaps,  you 
may  slay  the  beast ;  and  a  clue  of  thread, 
and  by  that,  perhaps,  you  may  find  your 
way  out  again.  Only  promise  me,  that  if 
you  escape  safe,  you  will  take  me  home 
with  you  to  Greece ;  for  my  father  will 
surely  kill  me,  if  he  knows  what  I  have 
done." 

Then  Theseus  laughed,  and  said,  "  Am 
I  not  safe  enough  now  ? "  And  he  hid 
the  sword  in  his  bosom,  and  rolled  up  the 
clue  in  his  hand ;  and  then  he  swore  to 
Ariadne,  and  fell  down  before  her,  and 
kissed  her  hands  and  her  feet ;  and  she 
wept  over  him  a  long  while,  and  then 
went  away ;  and  Theseus  lay  down  and 
slept  sweetly. 

And  when  the  evening  came,  the  guards 
came  in  and  led  him  away  to  the  laby- 
rinth. 

And    he    went    down    into    that    doleful 


THESEUS.  313 

gulf,  through  winding  paths  among  the 
rocks,  under  caverns,  and  arches,  and 
galleries,  and  over  heaps  of  fallen  stone. 
And  he  turned  on  the  left  hand,  and  on 
the  right  hand,  and  went  up  and  down, 
till  his  head  was  dizzy ;  but  all  the  while 
he  held  his  clue.  For  when  he  went  in 
he  had  fastened  it  to  a  stone,  and  left  it 
to  unroll  out  of  his  hand  as  he  went  on  ; 
and  it  lasted  him  till  he  met  the  Mino- 
taur, in  a  narrow  chasm  between  black 
cliffs. 

And  when  he  saw  him  he  stopped 
awhile,  for  he  had  never  seen  so  strange 
a  beast.  His  body  was  a  man's ;  but  his 
head  was  the  head  of  a  bull ;  and  his 
teeth  were  the  teeth  of  a  lion ;  and  with 
them  he  tore  his  prey.  And  when  he  saw 
Theseus  he  roared,  and  put  his  head  down, 
and  rushed  right  at  him. 

But  Theseus  stepped  aside  nimbly,  and 
as  he  passed  by,  cut  him  in  the  knee ; 
and  ere  he  could  turn  in  the  narrow  path, 
14 


314  THESEUS. 

he  followed  him,  and  stabbed  him  again 
and  again  from  behind,  till  the  monster 
fled  bellowing  wildly;  for  he  had  never 
before  felt  a  wound.  And  Theseus  followed 
him  at  full  speed,  holding  the  clue  of 
thread  in  his  left  hand. 

Then  on,  through  cavern  after  cavern, 
under  dark  ribs  of  sounding  stone,  and  up 
rough  glens  and  torreni>beds,  among  the 
sunless  roots  of  Ida,  and  to  the  edge  of 
the  eternal  snow,  went  they,  the  hunter 
and  the  hunted,  while  the  hills  bellowed 
to  the  monster's  bellow. 

And  at  last  Theseus  came  up  with  him, 
where  he  lay  panting  on  a  slab  among  the 
snow,  and  caught  him  by  the  horns,  and 
forced  his  head  back,  and  drove  the  keen 
sword  through  his  throat. 

Then  he  turned,  and  went  back  limping 
and  weary,  feeling  his  way  down  by  the 
clue  of  thread,  till  he  came  to  the  mouth 
of  that  doleful  place  ;  and  saw  waiting  for 
him,  whom  but  Ariadne! 


THESEUS.  315 

And  he  whispered,  "  It  is  done ! "  and 
showed  her  the  sword ;  and  she  laid  her 
finger  on  her  lips,  and  led  him  to  the 
prison,  and  opened  the  doors,  and  set  all 
the  prisoners  free,  while  the  guards  lay 
sleeping  heavily ;  for  she  had  silenced 
them  with  wine. 

Then  they  fled  to  their  ship  together, 
and  leapt  on  board,  and  hoisted  up  the 
sail ;  and  the  night  lay  dark  around  them, 
so  that  they  past  through  Minos's  ships, 
and  escaped  all  safe  to  Naxos;  and  there 
Ariadne  became  Theseus's  wife. 


PART    IV. 

HOW    THESEUS    FELL    BY    HIS    PRIDE. 

Bur  that  fair  Ariadne  never  came  to 
Athens  with  her  husband.  Some  say  that 
Theseus  left  her  sleeping  on  Naxos  among 
the  Cyclades;  and  that  Dionusos  the  wine- 
king  found  her,  and  took  her  up  into 
the  sky,  as  you  shall  see  some  day  in  a 
painting  of  old  Titian's,  one  of  the  most 
glorious  pictures  upon  earth.  And  some 
say  that  Dionusos  drove  away  Theseus, 
and  took  Ariadne  from  him  by  force :  but 
however  that  may  be,  in  his  haste  or  in 
his  grief,  Theseus  forgot  to  put  up  the 
white  sail.  Now  ^Egeus  his  father  sat 
and  watched  on  Sunium  day  after  day, 
and  strained  his  old  eyes  across  the  sea, 
to  see  the  ship  afar.  And  when  he  saw 


THESEUS.  317 

the  black  sail,  and  not  the  white  one,  he 
gave  up  Theseus  for  dead,  and  in  his 
grief  he  fell  into  the  sea,  and  died ;  so  it 
is  called  the  ^Egean  to  this  day. 

And  now  Theseus  was  king  of  Athens, 
and  he  guarded  it  and  ruled  it  well. 

For  he  killed  the  bull  of  Marathon, 
which  had  killed  Androgeos,  Minos's  son ; 
and  he  drove  back  the  famous  Amazons, 
the  warlike  women  of  the  East,  when  they 
came  from  Asia,  and  conquered  all  Hellas, 
and  broke  into  Athens  itself.  But  Theseus 
stopped  them  there,  and  conquered  them, 
and  took  Hippolute  their  queen  to  be  his 
wife.  Then  he  went  out  to  fight  against 
the  Lapithai,  and  Peirithoos  their  famous 
king:  but  when  the  two  heroes  came  face 
to  face  they  loved  each  other,  and  embraced, 
and  became  noble  friends ;  so  that  the 
friendship  of  Theseus  and  Peirithoos  is  a 
proverb  even  now.  And  he  gathered  (so 
the  Athenians  say)  all  the  boroughs  of  the 
land  together,  and  knit  them  into  one 


318  THESEUS. 

strong  people,  while  before  they  were  all 
parted  and  weak  :  and  many  another  wise 
thing  he  did,  so  that  his  people  honoured 
him  after  he  was  dead,  for  many  a  hundred 
years,  as  the  father  of  their  freedom  and 
their  laws.  And  six  hundred  years  after  his 
death,  in  the  famous  fight  at  Marathon, 
men  said  that  they  saw  the  ghost  of  The- 
seus, with  his  mighty  brazen  club,  fighting 
in  the  van  of  battle  against  the  invading 
Persians,  for  the  country  which  he  loved. 
And  twenty  years  after  Marathon,  his  bones 
(they  say)  were  found  in  Scuros,  an  isle 
beyond  the  sea ;  and  they  were  bigger 
than  the  bones  of  mortal  man.  So  the 
Athenians  brought  them  home  in  triumph; 
and  all  the  people  came  out  to  welcome 
them ;  and  they  built  over  them  a  noble 
temple,  and  adorned  it  with  sculptures  and 
paintings,  in  which  were  told  all  the  noble 
deeds  of  Theseus,  and  the  Centaurs,  and 
the  Lapithai,  and  the  Amazons ;  and  the 
ruins  of  it  are  standing  still. 


THESEUS.  819 

But  why  did  they  find  his  bones  in 
Scuros?  Why  did  he  not  die  in  peace  at 
Athens,  and  sleep  by  his  father's  side  ? 
Because,  after  his  triumph  he  grew  proud, 
and  broke  the  laws  of  God  and  man. 
And  one  thing  worst  of  all  he  did,  which 
brought  him  to  his  grave  with  sorrow.  For 
he  went  down  (they  say  beneath  the  earth) 
with  that  bold  Peirithoos  his  friend,  to  help 
him  to  carry  off  Persephone,  the  queen  of 
the  world  below.  But  Peirithoos  was  killed 
miserably,  in  the  dark  fire-kingdoms  under 
ground ;  and  Theseus  was  chained  to  a 
rock  in  everlasting  pain.  And  there  he 
sat  for  years,  till  Heracles  the  mighty  came 
down  to  bring  up  the  three-headed  dog 
who  sits  at  Pluto's  gate.  So  Heracles 
loosed  him  from  his  chain,  and  brought 
him  up  to  the  light  once  more. 

But  when  he  came  back  his  people  had 
forgotten    him,  and  Castor  and  Poludeuces, 
the    sons    of   the  wondrous  Swan,    had    in 
vaded  his    land,  and  carried  off  his  mother 


320  THESEUS. 

Aithra  for  a  slave,  in  revenge  for  a  grievous 
wrong. 

So  the  fair  land  of  Athens  was  wasted, 
and  another  king  ruled  in  it,  who  drove 
out  Theseus  shamefully,  and  he  fled  across 
the  sea  to  Scuros.  And  there  he  lived  in 
sadness,  in  the  house  of  Lucomedes  the 
king,  till  Lucomedes  killed  him  by  treach- 
ery, and  there  was  an  end  of  all  his 
labours. 

So  it  is  still,  my  children,  and  so  it 
will  be  to  the  end.  In  those  old  Greeks, 
and  in  us  also,  all  strength  and  virtue 
come  from  God.  But  if  men  grow  proud 
and  self-willed,  and  misuse  God's  fair  gifts, 
He  lets  them  go  their  own  ways,  and  fall 
pitifully,  that  the  glory  may  be  His  alone. 
God  help  us  all,  and  give  us  wisdom,  and 
courage  to  do  noble  deeds!  but  God  keep 
pride  from  us  when  we  have  done  them, 
lest  we  fall,  and  come  to  shame ! 

THE   END, 


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